The Soul Reaver and The Spirit Shield
by Mikoto Zoku
Summary: Story Completed 624. Nothing new, just deleted 'author's notes' chapters.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The Sarafan Priestess ran down the dark corridor in a blind rage. She had pursued her prey to the very fortress she was now inside. Though she could not see him, she knew he was just ahead, in the chamber at the end of this corridor. She cared not if he was leading her into a trap. Vengeance was the only thing on her mind.  
With a vicious tug, she tore open the door, revealing a vast room, filled with strange mechanical devices and even stranger images decorating the walls. Focusing on her task at hand, she called out to the beast who had brought destruction to her home village.  
"I know you're in here, Lord," she sneered, drawing her sword and shield. "Come out and show yourself at once!"  
"My dear Priestess, you've come all this way to betray me? Why I'm so flattered," replied a menacing voice, dripping with sarcasm. The priestess turned in the direction of the voice, or what she assumed to be the direction from whence the voice came. The high ceiling of this chamber created an irritating echo.  
"If you are so flattered, then why don't you step out into the light and honor me with you're presence?" the priestess growled, her rage barely controlled. "Or are you a coward? Are you too afraid to show yourself? Just like when you had the Sarafan knights attack my village without warning during the cover of night!" A deep chuckle filled the room, causing the priestess's blood to boil. "Tell me, before I kill you. Why did you do it? Why did you massacre my village?"  
"I had no other choice, my dear. You're village was full of traitors, providing aid to the vampire cause. They signed their own death warrants." With this said, the Sarafan Lord revealed himself from a much smaller chamber within the room the priestess stood. As expected, she ran blindly after her former master as he disappeared back into the dark chamber within. This did not cause the priestess to stop. She continued on into the dark room, and as she stepped inside, the door slammed shut. Within moments, the room was lit up by torches either side of the room. No doubt done so by the Lord's mysterious power.  
"No one in my village ever helped a vampire and you know that!" the priestess growled at the Lord at the other end of the room.  
"Ah, but they have! But they have!" corrected the Sarafan Lord. "You know as well as I do that the villagers had helped a vampire. You can feel it deep within your blood. You cannot deny that!"  
"Even if it is true, the people of my village devoted themselves to the Sarafan! Myself included," she retorted. Her voice growing soft with regret towards the last part, but it was still audible enough for the Lord to hear her words.  
"Yes, unfortunately for you, I suppose. Devoting yourself so loyally to the Sarafan cause, to the extent of even becoming a priestess yourself. Yet, you were still unable to protect your village, like you had so intended. Instead you watched your village fall under the battle-axe of your comrades. And now, you shall die like the people of your village died." The Sarafan Lord taunted his victory over the priestess's home.   
As she began to charge the Lord again, he summoned a demon-beast, almost too big to stand up within the small chamber. Shocked by the sudden appearance of this hell-spawned beast, the priestess halted in her tracks, giving the Lord ample time to disappear out of sight and teleport out of harm's way. Regaining focus, the priestess tightened her grip on her sword and shield and crouched into a battle ready position.   
The gargantuan beast charged towards the priestess and barreled into her with its horns. The priestess was thrown backwards and slammed into the wall behind her. She slid painfully to the floor before stumbling back to her feet. Nothing she had ever encountered before had this much strength. Deep down inside, she could feel she would not survive this battle.   
Glaring upwards at the demon, the priestess brought her shield in front of her once more, readying herself for the blow the beast was preparing. Not a physical blow, but one made of fire and energy building in the demon's claws.   
The shield she wielded was a gift given to her by her father before he had passed away. It had belonged to her deceased mother, and her mother before that, and her mother before that, and so forth, until as early as time was recorded. The shield was supposed to have magical powers, but the priestess was never able to summon that power.  
Noticing the beast was ready to fire the blast that would undoubtedly kill her, the priestess gripped her shield and focused all her energy into the shield. The shield seemed to come alive with energy and appeared to know exactly what to do with it. The energy seemed to focus itself in front of the priestess protecting her somewhat from the powerful blast that collided with her.   
Thrown to the ground and in great pain, the priestess could not return to her feet this time. The giant demon casually made its way over to the fallen warrior, ground trembling with each footstep. The priestess weakly opened one eye, watching her demise approach. The beast stopped over her body, like a vulture over its prey. With a gigantic claw, the beast carelessly wrenched her up to its eyelevel. The beast seemed to study its victim for a moment before delivering the final blow.   
Wracked with pain, the priestess could do nothing but accept her fate. Having decided that it had had a long enough gaze, the beast finally ended the priestess's suffering. Clamping down its claws, the demon snapped the neck of its victim before engulfing the corpse with summoned flames. Satisfied, the demon dropped the burning and charred corpse in the corner of the room before retreating back to the depths of hell from whence it came. 


	2. The Weakened Wraith Blade

Chapter One

As soon as Raziel had regained enough strength, he searched within the Sarafan stronghold for a rift where he could shift from the spectral to physical realm. He knew he had to catch up to Kain quickly if he was to ever have his questions answered about Kain's bizarre outburst when last he saw his former master.  
flashback  
Kain's eyes focused and unfocused as new memories replaced the old that no longer occurred with the shift in history.  
"My God! The Hilden...Raziel, Janos Audron must remain dead!" the vampire lord blurted out in a panic, just as Raziel, unable to sustain his physical form, shifted into the spectral realm.  
end flashback  
As Raziel shifted to the physical plane, he could still sense traces of where Kain's presence had been. He could tell that Kain had not gone too far as of yet, but the vampire's teleportation ability could allow him to travel great distances in short time. However, Raziel could sense that Kain had not traveled outside the Sarafan stronghold. His presence was no longer inside the stronghold, but there were no recent traces of him having left the edifice. Raziel paused to ponder the situation.  
"If he hasn't left yet, where might he have gone?" the former vampire questioned out loud. "Of course! Not where did he go, but when?" Raziel immediately headed in the direction of the time streaming device located inside the stronghold.  
Chaos from events happening only moments ago still seemed to be affecting everything inside the stronghold. The six Sarafan Priests had been slain by an unknown assailant. The surviving occupants of the stronghold assumed it had been the vampire Vorador who had murdered the priests as he attacked members of the Circle. Sarafan warriors ran from one blood bath to another in a panicked fashion.  
Unfortunately, Raziel had to cross Vorador's true path of death in order to reach the chamber he knew Kain had fled to. Several murdered warriors had been left haphazardly in the corridors. Survivors were cleaning the blood and corpses from the scenes of death. As Raziel turned a corner, he stumbled upon three warriors and two sorcerers tending to the dead.  
"A demon of Hell is among us!" cried out one of the female sorcerers, readying a fireball.  
"Get him!" a spear-wielding warrior ordered. Knowing he could not avoid this fight, Raziel summoned his wraith blade to defend himself. As the first warrior approached, hefting a long sword, Raziel swung the Soul Reaver blade at his opponent. The blade made contact, but dealt little damage. Dodging the warrior's sword, Raziel brought his weapon across the back of the human, but again, barely a scratch.  
'What is happening?' Raziel thought to himself, examining the Soul Reaver with a puzzled look. Unsure of the reason for the wraith blade's sudden weakness, Raziel dodged the warrior's sword again, and leapt out of the way of one of the sorcerer's fireballs just before it made contact. Unfortunately, he didn't notice the warrior with the spear in time, and received a blow to his left arm.  
Using his claws, Raziel fought the spear-armed warrior, clamping down on his enemy's throat, crushing his windpipe. With a stomach-churning crunch, the warrior's neck was broken in two, and Raziel claimed the spear as a temporary solution. The now dead warrior must have been the strongest of the group, for the sorcerers fled when they saw his demise. The remaining two warriors, though now made very wary by the site of their leader's murder, still seemed to have enough confidence to continue the fight.  
Raziel charged toward the warrior he had begun to fight with before, sensing his slightly weaker state from the two blows dealt to him earlier. The warrior sized up Raziel, before summoning glyph energy in an effort to deliver a critical blow. However, the time needed to collect this energy was more than ample time for Raziel to thrust the spear through the warrior's middle, causing him to lose focus and drop his long sword to the ground.  
Grabbing the sword, Raziel turned to his final combatant. The third warrior now seemed very hesitant after watching his comrades' fall and after being deserted by the sorcerers. Apparently, he finally decided his neck wasn't worth the battle, at least not when he had no winning chance, and he turned and fled. Having taken some damage and using some energy during the scuffle, Raziel consumed the two souls that had escaped their now dead bodies. After regaining some strength, Raziel stopped to wonder about his almost ineffective blade.  
"Why does the Soul Reaver inflict so little damage all of a sudden?" he inquired. "The reaver was never more powerful than before my return to the stronghold. Did the alteration of history cause my blade to be weaker? Was it from the strain of being entwined and then ripped away from its physical twin? Or was it because Kain defied the fates and pulled the twin blades from my body?"  
Deciding that his questions of the Hilden could wait, Raziel turned back towards the room where he had last seen the physical Soul Reaver. This was the room in which he had slain his human self, and the room where the entwined blades of the Soul Reaver had turned on him. He didn't have far to go back, only a few corridors away. It was better to get the matter of his weakened weapon out of the way now, before he sent himself hurtling as many as centuries into Nosgoth's past or present.  
The travel to the round room went without incident. Obviously no one was currently guarding that side of the stronghold. Raziel cautiously entered the room, noticing the still living occupants busying themselves with the corpse of the human Raziel. Silently watching the room, Raziel's eyes drifted towards the opposite side of the room. There, lying in the shadow was the unmistakable form of the Soul Reaver. Raziel was surprised the blade was still even there. If Kain had left in a panicked hurry and forgotten it, then surely the humans would have locked it away somewhere safe by now. But no, there it was almost out in the open.  
Raziel stealthily made his way to the blade, and as he approached it, a faint blue aura seemed to seep out from the hilt, pulsing as it engulfed the blade. Raziel stared in awe at the physical blade, and before he realized it, the wraith blade manifested itself on its own accord. The two blades seemed to be attempting to reach out to one another. Trying to embrace each other as it once had.   
Raziel seemed to be hypnotized by the lust the two blades held for one another. Suddenly realizing he was reaching for the physical blade with the arm symbiotically attached to the wraith blade, Raziel managed to pull himself out of his stupor in a terror-stricken fashion. The last time he had held both blades, it had almost spelled out his demise.  
"Go ahead Raziel, touch it," came an all too familiar voice from behind Raziel. The former vampire turned to meet Kain's eyes.  
"And if I do, does that mean I am put back into the same situation you had pulled me from only moments ago? Do you wish me back into that position, so that maybe this alteration of time goes back to the way it once was?" Raziel demanded of Kain untrustworthily. "I find it hard to believe, Kain, that you would actually wish me to destroy myself in the way you had just prevented from happening. But then again, you did banish me into the abyss."  
"That all may be true Raziel," admitted the vampire, "but tell me this...Do you feel that temporal distortion that you experienced during that moment?" Silence. "What's happened has already happened. There's no changing that now. However, I know you depend on the reaver and right now it is almost useless to you now. The majority of the wraith blade's power is still residing inside it's physical self. What you see happening is not the remainder of the soul reaver wishing to leave you to rejoin the rest of its self. No. What you see happening is the wraith blade within the physical blade wishing to escape from its confinements and rejoin with you. You are the Soul Reaver, Raziel. Your soul wishes to be with you."  
If Raziel were capable, a disbelieving grin would have spread across his face. "You almost had me convinced Kain, that you would actually show concern for my well being. Tell me, is there not an alternative reason for my reaching for the Soul Reaver? It seems to me that you may have a self benefiting purpose of your own."  
The vampire chuckled lightly. "Ah, Raziel, you seem to have me quite figured out don't you? You are quite correct. I do have motivation other than your survival through what you are about to endure. You see, there is a great adversary from my past that I must put back in his place. But I need the Reaver to do so."  
"So why not take it now Kain? Why try to manipulate me into taking it into my own hands? Surely you are not afraid of it striking you down against your will?"  
Kain let out a heavy sigh before he continued. "That is exactly what the Reaver will do, unless its rightful owner takes it into his own hand first. Why do you think these humans have yet to place it in a safer location? It was attempted already, and that poor fool was devoured, body and soul. The humans fear the weapon they had fought to claim."  
Raziel pondered Kain's words for several long moments. Was it true what Kain had claimed? Was the Reaver now useless to all but himself now? What if Kain was wrong and the Reaver tried to devour him again? But then again, that temporal distortion was not present at this time. Raziel finally decided to take his chances. If he didn't risk losing his un-life now, then he may lose it later when he didn't have a choice.  
The former vampire cautiously reached for the Soul Reaver. The spiritual energy of the blade seemed to reach back in wisps towards Raziel's arm, connecting with the bit of the wraith blade entwined with his arm. Finally, Raziel grabbed the handle in a sudden move. As the missing energy of the wraith blade released itself from the physical blade, Raziel could feel an almost painful electrical tingling sensation up and down his right arm. The energy seemed to happily resume its residence in Raziel's arm, entwining and encompassing the clawed appendage.  
As the wraith blade completed its transfer, Raziel could no longer feel the presence of his twin soul within the physical blade, and to his surprise (and relief), he was able to release it this time around. With an echoing 'clank' he dropped the blade to the ground, examining wraith blade, encircling his arm. The few humans remaining in the room turned towards the sound of the blade hitting the stone floor, but being unable to see anything within the shadows, they quickly returned to removing the Sarafan Raziel's body.  
Intoxicated with the return of the wraith blade, Raziel didn't notice when Kain reclaimed the physical blade of the Reaver. Kain was about to leave Raziel to study his arm, but opted to leave Raziel with some parting words before teleporting away.  
"I thank you Raziel, for entrusting me once more," Kain's voice pulling Raziel from his stupor.  
"So is that it then Kain? Once my use for you is complete, you dispose of me as useless rubbish?"  
"Quite the contrary, Raziel. I have far more uses for you in the future. I'd merely hoped you would heed my advice. For if you hadn't, you would be of no use to me when I would need you the most," corrected the vampire lord, as he turned to leave.  
"Wait Kain!" Raziel called out to the retreating form of his former master. Kain paused a moment, but did not turn around. Raziel continued. "Tell me this before you go: what is this 'Hilden' you speak of? And why must Janos remain dead? If you are to depend on my aid, then I must have these questions answered first."  
"I unfortunately cannot provide the answers to you as of yet. But trust me, you will find your answers soon enough. I must go now. I abruptly left a few associates of mine so that I may return to this point in time to retrieve the Reaver. I mustn't keep them waiting any longer. You will know, when the time comes, when I will need your assistance. Until then, I trust you will discover our altered history."  
As Kain finished his last words, he disappeared into a wisp of stagnant air, teleporting, no doubt, to the time streaming chamber of the stronghold. Raziel stood silently in the shadows, alone for a few moments, allowing Kain's words to roll around in his head. Unsatisfied with Kain's vague explanations, Raziel decided that he would pursue the vampire for answers. With one last look at the wraith blade, Raziel tried to call it back into his arm, but found he could not. Sensing the greater strength of the blade, Raziel realized he could not force it back within him, that its position entwined around Raziel's arm was a permanent position. At least for now.  
Stretching his senses, Raziel could feel a flicker of Kain's presence in the time chamber, just before its activation, sending the vampire hurtling through time to his destination. With the disappearance of Kain's presence, Raziel resumed his journey to the time chamber. Most of the chaos had settled down into grief for the loss of life at the hands of the 'infidels'. With only a few minor incidents, Raziel was able to quickly reach the door to the time chamber. Satisfied with himself that he would soon get the explanations he desired, Raziel pushed the doors of the time chamber. To his dismay, the doors were sealed shut. 


	3. A New Element

Chapter Two  
  
Satisfied with himself that he would soon get the explanations he desired, Raziel pushed the doors of the time chamber. To his dismay, the doors were sealed shut.  
A flicker of fear rose up within Raziel at the thought that he may be trapped within this era permanently. But that was when he realized his mistake. Above the set of doors was the 'key' to his entrance. The strange gem, that when contacted with the element of light, would allow Raziel entrance to the chamber. Raziel returned to the previous chamber, where he had noticed a light font beforehand.   
As Raziel imbued the Reaver with the elemental power of light, the wraith blade seemed to take on a life of its own. The blade seemed to consume every bit of energy from the tiny font, leaving nothing behind after its 'feast'. Dismissing the strange turn of events for now, Raziel returned to the entrance of the time chamber with the imbued blade.   
After taking careful aim, the released light energy collided with the gem, and the large metal doors began to tremble and groan under the force of its own weight. However, the doors were unable to provide Raziel access to the desired chamber of his destination. After several moments of struggle, the doors stilled to silence.  
"It's true then," Raziel muttered to himself. "The doors are sealed shut, by some twist of fate. Either I am forever trapped in this time, or there has to be another way to travel through time."  
Leaving the stronghold, Raziel noticed a slight change in the landscape from the last time he had looked upon the land. When at one time there had only been the one pass through the mountains to the stronghold, there now were two, though the second was much higher off the ground than the original pass, making it inaccessible from the ground. Hoping for the best, Raziel gave up his physical form and shifted into the spirit realm.   
To his relief, the altered spectral realm created a ledge from which Raziel could reach the higher passageway. The former vampire made his way around a few bends before coming across a rift between the realms. After devouring a wandering soul, Raziel shifted back into the physical plane and continued his journey. To his surprise, this mountain path seemed abandoned. Apparently humans couldn't reach the high cliffs of the passageway, nor could the vampires of this time.  
Upon rounding a final turn in the passageway, Raziel came upon a vast canyon in the mountain range. Not far in the distance, he could make out the outline of a small town. With night approaching, Raziel pressed onward, making his way to the town while he still had the light of day to guide him. As dusk settled, Raziel reached the edge of the town. Entering the village with no opposition, Raziel assumed its residents had turned in to the safety of their homes for the evening.   
The former vampire slowly made his way through the small settlement, carefully studying his surroundings, and staying on his guard for adversaries. Once or twice, a human had appeared from one of the buildings of the town, but they seemed to not notice Raziel's presence and just continued on their way. Raziel continued forward through the town, not much perking his interest.   
He made his way down the main road and left the town at the opposite side he made his entrance. As he left the town, Raziel noticed the road led to a narrow path in the cliff side. He continued on the path, but after rounding a turn, he noticed large boulders and rocks had blocked off the path. Obviously a rockslide of some sort had caused the obstruction. Unable to climb over the boulders, Raziel turned back towards the town. He knew he'd have to find someway to get through the path.  
As Raziel reentered the town, a wisp of smoke caught his eye. He turned in the direction of the smoke, and came upon a strange doorway embedded in the side of a rock face. Above and beyond the door, the source of the smoke revealed itself: an extinct volcano. Looking back at the door, Raziel could see the image of the blue winged vampire that he had come to familiarize himself with, the image always present on the doorway to an elemental forge. Above the door was a symbol. The symbol was a design of circles. Two full circles in the middle were encompassed around the bottom half by three half circles. Above the center circles were three smaller circles, each of varying size.  
Using the wrath blade, Raziel opened the door and ventured inside. The door then slid shut. After making his way down a long corridor, Raziel came to a large chamber. There were large stones in various places. High above the chamber was a small doorway. Obviously a puzzle of some sort, Raziel set to work placing the stones on one another. Setting them in strategic places on ledges within the room Raziel was eventually able to reach his goal.  
Having finished the puzzle, Raziel found himself in the entranceway, however, the door that now stood before him could only be opened by light energy. Unfortunately, there wasn't a single light forge in the chamber. Sighing with defeat, Raziel turned from the door, when he noticed the wraith blade suddenly changed appearance. Without having to be imbued by a font, the reaver was able to manifest the element of light within itself.  
'The wraith blade must have permanently absorbed the light element from that font within the stronghold,' Raziel mused to himself in realization. 'I can now summon the light element at my will.'  
Turning back to the door, Raziel shot a ball of light energy at the door. The door willingly gave way to reveal a small chamber. Inside, was a large, but empty, forge on the ground in the same symbol Raziel had seen above the door to the forge. Above the forge, were several stalactites, seeming to be barely hanging on to the ceiling. Turning to the right, Raziel noticed an active air font.  
Knowing instantly what to do, Raziel began to imbue the wraith blade with the element of wind. As before with the light font, the reaver took full control, absorbing all the air from this font as well before releasing itself. If the same held true for the air element as did light, then Raziel would be able to summon this element at will as well. Determined to harness the power of the as of yet unknown element, Raziel aimed the wind-imbued reaver at the stalactites and released a force of energy. Upon doing so, the stalactites came crashing down into the forge, falling into each of the three upper circles within the symbol of the forge.  
The result of the falling rock and debris caused the forge to begin to rumble. The trembling continued to grow to a point where Raziel could barely stand before the temors plateaued. Carefully making his way to the center of the forge, Raziel thrusted his wraith blade into the forge. The blade absorbed the power the forge had to offer, greedily consuming its energy. Once accomplished, the reaver took on a darker, heavier appearance, though not as dark as the shadow element.  
'Now imbued with the element of earth, I should be able to continue my journey through the passageway,' Raziel realized to himself. On that note, he left the Earth forge and returned to the boulder-blocked pathway. Now noticing the symbol of the earth element on the ground in front of the blockage, Raziel impaled the reaver into its center.   
With a growing tremble, the boulders seemed to begin to move out of Raziel's way. Almost as if watching in reverse, the boulders began to lift themselves up along either side of the passage and rest at the top of the cliffs. As the last of the boulders freed itself from the path, Raziel removed the reaver from the symbol and continued on his way. 


	4. Time

Chapter Three

As Raziel emerged from the narrow passageway, he came across another, though smaller, valley. This one, however, contained the most luscious forest he had seen in centuries. From his vantage point, Raziel could make out the roof of a building peaking out over the treetops. Without hesitation, Raziel made his way over to the building.  
Rounding the edifice, he could not find and entrance, until he came to the forth side. A large boulder had blocked off this side of the building. Spotting the Earth glyph on the side of the building, Raziel placed his reaver within it, and slowly the boulder gave way, revealing a door, with the symbol of Mobius etched upon its surface.  
"Who goes there?" a voice from the left startled Raziel. He hadn't thought anyone was in this area.  
"Show yourself!" a second voice called out. Raziel calmly rounded the corner of the building and discovered two heavily armored Sarafan knights.  
"There's the demon Lord Mobius warned us about!" the first announced. Raziel crouched in a combat position, ready for the approaching warriors. The first hastily ran up to Raziel, wielding his sword in front of him. He swung his sword ferociously at Raziel, who simply dodged around it. Spotting an opening in the knight's defenses, Raziel swung the reaver at his opponent, but before he could make contact, the second knight clipped him with his sword.  
Slightly angered by his carelessness, Raziel took aim with the reaver at the second knight and released a sphere of energy. Having no time to dodge, the ball of energy collided with the knight, sending him skidding backwards across the ground several yards. Raziel then focused upon the first knight, who had been calling forth his glyph energy into his battle blade, readying it above his head for a critical strike.  
Raziel barely had enough time to dodge the attack, but the amount of energy the knight had focused into his sword had left him weak and slow. Using the reaver, Raziel slashed out at the knight, amputating his sword arm. Screaming in pain, the knight fell to his knees clutching the bleeding stump that was once his arm. Distracted from the pain, the knight didn't realize when Raziel readied his fatal blow, and was impaled by the wraith blade. The knight combusted spontaneously, his soul released from his body.  
"You will die for that infidel!" screamed the enraged second knight, who had just recovered from his earlier incapacitation. He charged Raziel with his sword, swinging like a madman. His blind fury made it easy for Raziel to dodge his poorly calculated attacks. As Raziel dodged around the Sarafan, he swung the wraith blade, slashing the knight across his right side and his back. The knight grunted in pain, but his rage kept his persistence.  
Bleeding and weak, the Sarafan knight glared at Raziel with a deep hatred. Panting heavily and slightly staggering, the warrior was bleeding all over his front, side and back. Even if he survived the fight with Raziel, he wouldn't live for more than a few days with those wounds.  
"Now you die," growled the knight, hefting his long sword in both hands. He summoned up the last of his energy, preparing what he hoped would be his victorious blow. If Raziel were still human, he probably would have felt remorse for the knight's 'valiant' efforts. That was, however, stifled by the knowledge of what the Sarafan represented: vampire annihilation. Before the knight could deliver his blow, Raziel thrusted the reaver into the human's middle, killing his prey. With the threat abated, Raziel was able to consume the souls of his victims and he regained the strength lost in the conflict.  
Upon returning to the door with Mobius's symbol on it, Raziel took note of the gem placed above the doorway. Raziel looked down upon his reaver, knowing he'd have to harness the power of light to open the chamber. The reaver seemed to know what Raziel was thinking, for it shifted its elements from the earth energy to the energy of light. After opening the door, Raziel descended the long stairway deep within the building. Finally, he reached the chamber of time.  
He crossed the chamber, to the time setting devices. Studying the dials, he realized that these controls were a lot less complex than the previous chambers he had encountered. This must have been the prototype for the smaller time chambers. There were three dials in all. Raziel reached for the first dial, and slowly began to turn it in the one direction it would move. As he did, he noticed that the time streaming platform seemed to hum to life with energy. He continued turning the dial until it clicked to a stop.  
The second dial, Raziel discovered, would move in either direction. As he turned the dial, he noticed three arcane symbols above the dial. If he turned the dial to the left, the symbols would change, until the first digit disappeared, leaving only two symbols. He turned it back towards the right, and then the first symbol returned. He continued to turn the dial clockwise, passing its original setting. He noticed that at he turned the dial; the symbols on the right would change more quickly than the one on the left. Raziel realized that these symbols must indicate some ancient form of numbers.   
Once the far-left digit had changed a few times, he let the dial to rest and pushed its center inward, locking it into place. Raziel then proceeded to the last of the dials. It too, had symbols above it, but these were slightly different. Deciding to leave this dial at its current setting, Raziel pushed in the center, locking it in to place as well. Satisfied, Raziel approached the streaming platform and took the hourglass-shaped device in his claws.   
Giving it a hefty pull, Raziel activated the device by rotating it ninety degrees. The energy of the streaming device engulfed Raziel, causing him to suspend in the air before the former vampire's surroundings swirled into a blurred confusion. After a few moments of suspension, the streaming energy relinquished its grip on Raziel, and settled him back on the ground.  
Raziel made his way out of the time chamber and back into the open of wilderness. It seemed that time had played a cruel joke upon the landscape Raziel had left behind. The beautiful forest Raziel had laid his eyes upon beforehand was completely ravished. A few old rotting tree stumps was the only proof that a forest had once occupied the now barren valley. Through the chasm that Raziel had first entered this valley from, he could see smoke rising from where the village was located.  
Curious to see how the small town had held up through time, Raziel headed off in that direction. As he emerged from the path, the sight had almost appalled him. The entire town lay in ruins. A few charred support beams and crumbling stone walls were all that was left of most of the buildings. Making his way down the ruined streets, rotting corpses of the village's inhabitants cluttered the ground. Someone had attacked this secluded town.  
At first, the bodies were those of warriors who had been protecting the village. But as Raziel progressed, there were more bodies of women and children who had been fleeing for their lives. That was all Raziel could tell of these corpses. The bodies had been decomposing far too long to conclude anything else. It was obvious now, that this town had been massacred. But by whom? And for what purpose?  
On the other side of town, Raziel could make out a small fire from where the smoke he spotted had originated. As he approached, a lone warrior stood at the fire. With the warrior's back to the former vampire, Raziel was able to sneak up on his unsuspecting prey.  
"Tell me, what has happened to this village?" Raziel demanded of the warrior before attacking. The warrior didn't appear to have been taken by surprise. Instead, the warrior merely glanced over its shoulder guard. Before Raziel could get a good look at the warrior's face, the warrior's form dissipated in a flash of light. Blinded momentarily by the light, Raziel was shocked to discover that now in place of the warrior was a brightly glowing soul, hovering in the air.  
Before getting his question answered, the soul shot off towards the chasm, towards the destroyed forest. Hoping to get some sort of explanation for this turn of events, Raziel raced after the soul, which now had a tremendous lead. Raziel followed the soul to the valley of the dead forest. The soul retreated to a cavern, which had in previous times been hidden by the thick vegetation. Without a second thought, Raziel pursued the soul into the dark caverns of the unknown. 


	5. The Wandering Soul

Chapter Four  
  
The peculiar soul had led Raziel into a dark cave. Using the properties of the light element within the reaver, Raziel was able to illuminate his immediate surroundings. The soul quickly made its way through the cave, leaving Raziel struggling to keep up. The cave suddenly opened up into a large cavern, slightly illuminated by crystal formations, giving Raziel warning that the path he was on had led to a ninety degree drop off. The soul continued on its way into the next cave on the other side of the chasm Raziel now faced.  
Raziel then barely made out the shape of a shadow glyph on the ground at his feet. Knowing that by placing a shadow imbued reaver into the glyph would allow access to the other side, Raziel began his search for a shadow font. It did not take long for the former vampire to spot the font, despite the poor lighting. Raziel jumped down to the bottom of the chasm where the font resided. Allowing the reaver to act on its own, Raziel placed his symbiotic weapon over the font. As before, the reaver consumed every last drop of the shadow energy before releasing its dominance over Raziel.  
With that task accomplished, Raziel then came to the realization that he could not climb back up to the shadow glyph. The walls of the chasm were too steep and there were no footholds to grab onto. Hoping for the best, Raziel shifted into the spectral realm, thus causing the reaver to lose its elemental property. Luckily, this caused a ledge to appear for Raziel to climb upon, allowing him access to the ledge he had previously dropped down from. Shifting back into the material realm, Raziel concentrated on the shadow element and the reaver happily shifted to meet its master's needs. Placing the wraith blade within the shadow glyph, a dark path stretched across the chasm, allowing Raziel to proceed in his quest.  
Continuing into the next cave, Raziel found it was much narrower than the previous one, which made it a little more difficult to navigate. The lighting was no problem, as the strange crystal formations continued to make their presence known through the rest of the cave. Sooner than expected, Raziel came upon a second cavern, this one opening up much wider and much higher than the first. Raziel noticed the soul escape through a passageway high up in the cavern wall.  
Studying the room, the former vampire noticed a small ledge about halfway up the cavern wall. If only he could reach it. Looking closer, he noticed an earth glyph. Not sure what it would do, Raziel took his chances and summoned the earth element within the reaver. Plunging his weapon into the glyph, the ground beneath Raziel's feet began to tremble. After a few moments, a small section of ground around Raziel began to shift upwards, bring Raziel within leaping distance of the small ledge he had spotted earlier.   
Jumping over to the ledge, Raziel noticed an air glyph. After calling forth the air element, Raziel created an air current for which to glide upwards upon his outspread wings. He safely landed upon the high ledge leading to the cave he witnessed the soul escape through moments before. Without hesitating, and eager to catch up to the soul, Raziel quickly entered the third passageway of the cave.  
This third section was the most difficult to navigate, with many twists and turns and almost no light at all for which to see with. Finally, Raziel could make out a small light up ahead, and sure enough, he had reached the other side of the cave. He had begun to think he would never breathe the outside air again.  
As Raziel emerged from the cave, he was surprised to see a large run down structure in the center of a canyon. Looking around he could tell that there were no other entrances to the canyon besides the one he had just entered from. Pulling him out of his stupor, the soul flitted across Raziel's vision and entered through a doorway high up in the decomposing edifice. That was when Raziel noticed the height of the structure and that there were no ground level entrances. It was obvious this building was designed by the ancient race of vampires.  
Raziel approached the building; Raziel inspected its architecture and surroundings for a possible entrance. Noticing a narrow crack in the corner of the structure, Raziel shifted to the spectral realm and sure enough, the crack opened up into a hole large enough for the former vampire to fit through. Raziel found himself in the center of a long corridor. Locating a spectral rift at one end of the corridor, he shifted back to the material world. Above him was the entrance the soul had used to enter the building. At the opposite end was a large set of doors.  
Knowing his destination, Raziel ran down the corridor to the door, easily shoving them open. What he found took him completely by surprise. Though in ruin, there were many large contraptions in various locations within an extremely large chamber. The uses of these devices were a mystery to Raziel. The age of time had destroyed the machines beyond use.   
What really took Raziel by surprise was the age and technology behind the machines. In all his centuries of existence as a vampire, he had not seen anything quite so technologically developed such as these. The ancient vampires must have had knowledge beyond their years. As in other structures of the lost race of vampires, the walls of this chamber also contained the images of their once magnificent race.  
Scanning the chamber, Raziel's eyes came across a smaller chamber set off to the side of the larger one. And entering said chamber was the soul he had been pursuing. Quickly forgetting any ideas of investigating the contents of the larger room, Raziel followed the soul into the small chamber. As Raziel entered the room, the door behind him slid shut, catching the former vampire by surprise. Raziel was left in the darkness no more than a few seconds as torches along the walls lit with fire simultaneously, and without explanation.  
This smaller room seemed much more cramped for space, especially after leaving the much larger chamber. The room reeked of death. In the shadowed corner of the room, was a corpse in the later stages of decomposition. Other than the skeleton was the armor and weapon of the warrior, which Raziel concluded to have been a Sarafan. Losing interest in the corpse, Raziel noticed that the soul he had been chasing was nowhere to be found.  
Unfortunately for Raziel, his search would have to be put on hold. With flames shooting up from the ground, a large, horned demon rose from the fire, chuckling evilly at his prey.  
"The master said there would be more toys for me to play with," sneered the beast. "It's been so long since I've had company, I began to wonder if my master had been deceiving me," the demon growled, gesturing at the corpse in the corner. Raziel narrowed his eyes.  
"And who is this master you speak of beast?" interrogated the reaver of souls. "Is it Mobius? Come to tell you of my arrival? Or is it the greater God, sent you to punish me for my disobedience?"  
"The master is none of those things of which you speak. Though Mobius is one of the master's pawns. The master is a powerful one. More powerful than the greater God," taunted the demon.  
"Ha! You are either lying or delusional. Nothing is that powerful. It matters not though, for I shall have your soul," Raziel threatened the demon. The former vampire drew out the wraith blade, lifting it in preparation for battle. 


	6. Interlude One: Kain's Return

Chapter Five: Interlude One  
  
After retrieving the Soul Reaver from Raziel, Kain had hurried to the time streaming chamber within the stronghold. Setting the chamber for several centuries into the future, Kain traveled to the time of his first dormancy, after his first battle with the Sarafan Lord. It was the battle in which he was robbed of the Soul Reaver and had almost lost his vampiric un-life.  
The era in which Kain had sent himself was approximately fifty years before his second battle with the Sarafan Lord. His memories were still hazy from the shift in history. Kain was unsure whether the memories he had were accurate to the new timeline, or if they were now just fabrications of what had once been, or if some of his memories were from column A and some were from column B.  
Either way, he knew that the Hilden had a very strong presence in Nosgoth during this time. And he had a sinking feeling that their strength and numbers were much larger than what he could recollect. Janos Audron. Something on the back of Kain's mind told him that Janos Audron had something to do with the Hilden.  
'What is it my memories are trying to piece together?' the vampire lord wondered, making his way through the Sarafan stronghold. 'There was something about Janos Audron and the Hilden. What could it be?' He thought to himself for several long moments of silence as he exited the human edifice. "The Heart of Darkness! They brought him back to life! But why?" Kain realized aloud, though doubt still lingered within his voice.  
Before he could make any sense of his distorted past, a crow caught his attention. The crow landed not far off, perching on a high branch of a nearby tree. The crow seemed to have its full attention on Kain, studying the vampire. The eyes of the crow almost seemed to twinkle, as if more than just one being was seeing through its eyes. Kain's lips slightly curled upward in a knowing smirk.  
'So Vorador has already sensed my presence here,' thought Kain. Almost as if reading Kain's thoughts, the crow stretched its wings before taking into the air. After rising into the air a few feet, the crow seemed to vanish into thin air. 'Just as I thought,' Kain mused. 'Vorador is still seeking allies to fight off the Sarafan Lord. I may as well meet him face to face.'  
Transforming into his bat form, Kain flew off into the dark skies, in the direction of Vorodor's mansion, located in the thick swamps of Nosgoth. Shortly after his departure, two figures emerged from the stronghold and stood in the place Kain had just occupied only moments before.  
"So, you speak the truth Mobius," the larger, more threatening of the two replied. "Kain has returned as you promised."  
"Yes my Lord," affirmed the time streamer. "However, this is not the same Kain you struck down all those years ago."  
"I need not concern myself with that vampire scum," sneered the Sarafan Lord. "Not while I have this," he replied as he unsheathed the Soul Reaver.   
"But my Lord, this Kain has evolved from the last time you encountered him. This is the Kain that has traveled back in time from nearly two millennia from now. He is much stronger now. And if you are not careful, he will destroy your plans for your people."  
"Do I need to repeat myself Mobius? Kain is of no matter to me now. Besides, I have much more important business to attend to. One of my most precious pets has stuck her nose where it did not belong and she has deliberately disobeyed me. For that, she has forced me to punish her. Unfortunately I cannot find her, so I will punish her village in her place."   
As the Sarafan Lord finished his tirade, a fleet of Sarafan warriors was making their way over to the cliffs leading towards the secluded village. The warriors carried makeshift ladders with them to gain access to the passageway atop the cliff, too steep to climb without said assistance. The villagers' days would soon come to an end. 


	7. Fire Demon

Chapter Six  
  
Raziel raised his wraith blade in preparation for battle. The demon gave a bemused snort at his much smaller foe just before charging at him with his large horns. Raziel quickly moved out of harm's way, being much more agile than his opponent. Seizing the opportunity, Raziel swung his blade around and slashed the demon across its back, causing it to let out a piercing howl.  
The demon spun around quickly in reaction to the blow and glared angrily at Raziel. Lashing out with its claws, it swung viciously at Raziel, causing the former vampire to back up defensively, barely avoiding the dangerously sharp claws. Ducking under the demon's arm, Raziel avoided a crippling blow and rolled behind the beast. Raziel slashed at the demon, and sliced through the demon's leg. The fire beast screamed out in pain. Blood spilled onto the floor.   
The beast had been damaged badly, and halted his attack for a moment. Summoning up its strength, the beast was engulfed in fire. The flames did not damage the demon however. The fire actually regenerated the wounds inflicted upon the demon, to Raziel's horror. He could barely manage to strike the beast, and now all blows were in vain due to its healing abilities.  
With heavy uncertainty, Raziel hesitated his attacks to strategize. The fire around the beast settled, and the demon glared directly into Raziel's eyes. Raziel was unsure as to what the demon's next intentions were. The fire beast drew in a deep breath, and before Raziel could react, he found himself in the center of a continuous stream of flame pouring from the demon's mouth. As the beast's attack diminished with his breath, Raziel found his body severely burned. The attack had left him very weak and vulnerable.  
Unrelenting, the demon charged at Raziel, crashing into his prey with his overbearing horns. Raziel was sent flying across the room and slammed into the far wall before sliding down to the floor. Aching, Raziel knew that one more successful attack from his opponent would send him into the spectral realm. Barely able to lift his head up, Raziel noticed the beast summon up a sphere of flame within its claws.  
'This is it,' Raziel thought to himself. Like the demons he had encountered previously, Raziel knew this one would most likely follow him to the spectral realm to finish him off. He would only have a narrow moment of opportunity to regain some strength and then catch the demon off guard as it made its shift. Raziel braced himself as the demon released his attack to the helpless former vampire.   
However, something caught Raziel's eye. A flicker of light beside him drew his attention to the skeletal remains he had noticed upon his arrival. 'The soul! It had been hiding in there this whole time!' he realized. Almost as if in slow motion, Raziel watched the soul with bewilderment as it emerged from the corpse and seemed to dance around in front of him. The approaching attack had been temporarily forgotten.  
For some unknown reason, even to himself, Raziel did not feed upon the soul. Even though it would have restored some of his strength. He continued to watch with curiosity as it floated almost protectively in front of him. That's when his attention was brought back to the ball of fire nearing his being. Having been pulled from his daze, time seemed to restore back to its normal speed and the fireball rocketed towards its target. Raziel winced at his stupidity for having dropped his guard.  
The attack never came. Raziel opened his eyes and was shocked at what he saw before him. The soul in front of him had manifested itself in a humanoid form and was standing before him with its back turned to Raziel. The soul had manipulated its own energy to create a shield from the blast. The flames from the attack were forced out and around Raziel and his protector, creating a magnificent show of light when combined with the aura of the soul. The attack subsided and the form of the soul slackened from exhaustion.  
"He is weak. Attack him now," the soul's voice rang in Raziel's ears. Though the soul never turned to face Raziel, it could sense his weakened condition. Despite the soul's own fatigue, it spared all the energy it could and allowed it to absorb into Raziel's body. Unsure of how he could have absorbed the spirit's energy without consuming it, Raziel rose to his feet.   
"Do it now, before it's too late," came the voice once again. Raziel looked up at the spirit, to see that in its weakest state, it could not maintain its shape and that it had reverted back to the sphere of energy. Only this time it was very faint. Almost fully restored, Raziel turned his attention to the demon, who had used too much of its own energy in the previous attack.  
Summoning up the power of the Reaver, Raziel thrust it into the beast's midsection. With a crackle of energy, the wraith blade disintegrated the beast, releasing its soul from its body. Before it could escape, Raziel devoured the beast's unfortunate soul. With his victory, Raziel turned back to where the soul who had protected him had been. The soul had floated back over to the corpse, which Raziel figured had once been the body to which the soul belonged. Raziel could sense the fading aura of the soul.  
"You have questions yet unanswered, Raziel. You still have time to prevent this soul's departure from this world," the unforgettable voice of the Greater God rang in Raziel's head.  
"And what interest do you have in that spirit? Why all of a sudden, are you so willing to offer me advice after I so blatantly deceived you?" answered the reaver of souls.  
"It is not I who has interest in that soul, but you. You have questions you wish to ask of it, yet your opportunity to do so is dwindling."  
"I shall find my answers one way or another."  
"But not the information long forgotten with this being's demise," coaxed the God. "Are you so willing to cast away the spirit that only moments ago spared you from your own demise?"   
Silence.  
"You have a point, but why do you offer me your assistance? Certainly there is something in this for you should I heed your advice," Raziel interrogated.  
"There most certainly is, Raziel. With yours and Kain's meddling, you have released a far greater evil than any you may have encountered back into this world. And I expect you to rectify this situation. To do so, you will need further assistance from that fading spirit. This building possesses the means to restore this soul. I trust you will make the right decision," the God finished before his presence left Raziel's mind.  
Raziel glanced over to the soul. Its strength had almost diminished. Turning to leave the small chamber, he decided to help the spirit. Not for the Greater God, but if only to repay his debt to the soul for its assistance. And perhaps he would get some answers. Leaving the smaller chamber, Raziel looked around at all the machinery around the larger enclosure. It was then that he noticed that the small chamber he had just emerged from was in actuality part of a machine. Fortunately, the machine was in much better condition than its counterparts in the room.  
Studying the contraption, Raziel noted that above the cramped inner chamber, there were many pipes and gears. However, time still had aged the machine, as there were sections of pipe that had rotted away and a few missing gears. 'Borrowing' some parts from other machines, Raziel replaced the missing and damaged parts.  
"Now what to do?" Raziel asked himself aloud as he gazed upward, following the machine to the platform high above. Raziel spotted a ledge he could climb to on the other side of the small chamber. From said ledge, he could jump to the platform high above. As he rounded the chamber, he noticed images of the ancient vampire race that were better preserved than the rest about the room.  
The image was that of what seemed to be an injured winged vampire inside a box. From the box, were lines that were drawn upward and then to the right. As the lines went further up, an increasing amount of violet had been drawn within the lines. The lines led to another vampire with its arms outstretched to its sides. Pikes of some sort had been thrust through each of the vampire's palms. From its hands, dripped a violet liquid, which seemed to collect under the vampire.  
Raziel realized that the image was instructions for the use of the machine. Raziel climbed up to the platform above. But the pikes he noticed in the picture were not present on this platform. Looking around, Raziel noticed a pressure switch on a far wall. Using the reaver, he shot a sphere of energy at the plate. This resulted in the machine whirring to life. The gears began to turn and the pikes Raziel had seen in the depiction slowly rose from the platform below Raziel's feet.  
The machine now active, Raziel knew what he had to do. Though slightly painful, he thrusted his palms down onto the two pikes on either side. Raziel felt a slight suction emanate from below his feet as some of his energy from his physical manifestation was drawn from his palms. The energy collected at his feet, as did in the image's.   
Raziel removed his palms from the pikes at his sides. The platform below him opened up slightly, enough for the collected energy to travel down into the pipes of the machine.  
Though slightly drained, Raziel leapt down from the platform, holding his wings for a slower decent. The pipes from the platform above led directly into the small chamber below. After a few moments, the smaller chamber seemed to come to life, fulfilling its part of the operation. Raziel watched intently.  
Finally after several moments of anticipation, the machine settled back down into silence. Wondering if the machine had accomplished its task, Raziel pulled open the door to the smaller chamber. It had grown dark inside once again, the torches having been extinguished by the machine's activities. Summoning the reaver's light enhancements, the chamber was illuminated well enough to see.  
Looking around, Raziel could not locate the spirit he had left behind inside the chamber. As he neared the far side, he spotted the corpse. Only it no longer was a corpse. In place of the corpse, was a fully rejuvenated body of a Sarafan priest.  
'Great, just my luck,' Raziel inwardly groaned. 'As soon as he gets up, he'll probably attack me.' Raziel was pulled from his thoughts as the warrior stirred into consciousness. Slowly, the Sarafan rose, and Raziel was taken by surprise.  
"You're not a Sarafan priest!" he exclaimed out loud, catching the attention of the recovered warrior. "You're a priestess!" 


	8. A New Alliance

Chapter Seven  
  
"You're not a Sarafan Priest!" Raziel realized with disbelief. Everything around the revived warrior was a confusing haze. She struggled to stand, still dizzy from her rejuvenation. Raziel's voice caught her attention and her head snapped up in his direction.  
"You're a Priestess!" he stated the obvious. She stood silent before him, face blank and expressionless. She still seemed to be getting her bearings straight. Raziel studied her, making sure she was of no threat.   
She had dark brown hair, with blue highlights around her face. Her hair was pulled up behind her in a loose bun, obviously to keep out of the way during battle. Her eyes were a deep shade of green, almost a jade color. She was of average height, and despite the heavy armor she wore, Raziel could tell that she had a slender, yet slightly built figure, for a woman anyway. Well, she barely seemed to be a woman, just past her teens most likely. Finally, she broke the silence.  
"You...you followed me here. Why? How did you...how is it that I am alive?"  
"I am not fully sure myself how your life has been returned to you, other than that I used this machine we are now standing in to restore you," Raziel explained. "As for why I followed you, I have some questions I need to ask of you."  
She seemed to not be paying attention to Raziel. Her gaze turned downward to where her once lifeless body had rested. Stooping over, she picked up her sword, studying it. This action made Raziel slightly nervous, until he realized this action was of no threat. Assessing the sword, the priestess realized it was now useless with the extreme corrosion it had suffered during her death. She carelessly dropped her sword on the ground, discarding it. Raziel decided to try to continue the conversation.  
"I want to know what happened to that town I encountered you in. Why were you haunting it so?"  
The priestess's head snapped up in Raziel's direction. "That town used to be my village. It was attacked. No one survived," she said bluntly. She turned away from Raziel, obviously not wanting to continue the discussion.   
She knelt down a second time, only this time she picked up the shield she had used during her last battle. The shield seemed to have been affected worse by time than her sword. The rust and corrosion resulted in the shield crumbling slightly around the edges when touched. It seemed utterly useless. This however, seemed to affect her much more than the deterioration of her sword.  
"It wasn't supposed to decay like this," she muttered to herself, not caring that Raziel could hear her. "It never decayed like this, not ever. It was supposed to last with my family's bloodline..." She trailed off, lost in thought. With her back to Raziel, he couldn't see what she was lamenting over.  
"What is it you have?" he asked her, his voice almost soothing. She turned to him slightly, eyes meeting his.  
"This shield has been in my family for generations. It was crafted by an enchanted metal, never able to corrode nor able to be damaged. It has been passed down from mother to daughter for centuries, tied to my family, I guess. But now...now it's destroyed...decayed, like I was..."  
She trailed off again, eyes flashing from remorse to anger. With renewed vigor, she rose to her feet and determinedly headed for the exit. Raziel watched her pass, but grabbed her arm suddenly.  
"Your scent...it's not normal," he noted suspiciously. The priestess drew her arm away, glaring at Raziel. Raziel noticed that although she smelt human, there was something else there that wasn't quite right about her scent.  
"Do not touch me, and do not interfere," the priestess warned. "I have a traitor I must find and kill." She turned again and attempted to leave a second time.  
"Wait. Tell me who this traitor is you are looking for," Raziel requested. With her being a Sarafan, he wondered if this 'traitor' was one of the few people...vampires...Raziel had come to trust. She stopped, but did not face him.  
"He is known as the Sarafan Lord, but he is no lord of mine, nor is he even Sarafan," she explained, venom lacing her voice. "He is the one who is responsible for my village's demise. The demon you had slain was one of his minions, though his followers would never believe it. He has the human race wrapped around his finger, manipulating them to his will. It was when I learned of his true nature and intent that he murdered my kinsmen and burned my village to the ground. For all his crimes, he will pay."  
Seeing that she was leaving again, Raziel called for her to stop. "Wait, let me help you find him," he pleaded. Sighing in frustration, she halted yet again.  
"And why would you want to help me?" she asked exasperated.  
"You say he is the Sarafan Lord?" Raziel wished to confirm. She responded with a single nod. "Good. Then this Sarafan Lord must know about the Heart of Darkness, that is, if he hasn't got the artifact already." The priestess narrowed her eyes suspiciously at her company.  
"And what use might you have for such a powerful relic?" she inquired. She knew from her Sarafan elders the power of the Heart of Darkness. Raziel turned and looked at her, disliking her distrust of him.  
"I'm not even sure if I am to use it," he confessed. "I am simply seeking answers. At this point of time, I only know that Janos Audron is not to be restored to life. And if by obtaining the heart I can prevent that, then so be it. Until I figure out Kain's hidden meaning of the Hilden, I must find that artifact so that I have it when I know what I am supposed to do with it."  
The priestess looked at him in shock. 'Janos Audron? Kain? And the Hilden? How did he know of these people?' she thought. She had only learned of the Hilden race days before her death. 'How does he know of the Hilden already? Janos has been dead for centuries. And Kain has been... Yet he talks as if he knows them personally.'  
"Who are you?" the priestess finally asked, unable to contain her curiosity.  
"My name is Raziel. I am a reaver of souls," he answered calmly, no pride in his voice at the latter statement. The priestess's right eyebrow shot upward disbelievingly.  
"Raziel? Your name is Raziel?" she questioned doubtfully.  
"Is there something wrong with my name?" demanded the former vampire with irritation.  
"Are you ignorant or uneducated?" replied the priestess. "Have you not heard of the legend of the six Sarafan Priests? The priests that the Sarafan Lord bases his crusade upon? You must know! You are named after the strongest of the original Sarafan, Raziel!"  
"Not named after..." Raziel muttered, too quiet for the priestess to hear.  
"Jenise," the priestess spoke.  
"Huh?"  
"Jenise. My name is Jenise. Ex-priestess of the Sarafan. Soon to be murderer of the Sarafan Lord," she introduced herself. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, and even more so to have made an ally."  
Looking down, Raziel saw Jenise holding her hand out to him. Cautiously at first, he placed his hand in hers, and reassured, he shook her hand tightly in their newly formed alliance. Looking into her grinning face, he replied, "The pleasure is all mine." 


	9. Interlude Two: Kain and Vorador

Chapter Eight: Interlude Two  
  
"The Sarafan warriors have begun to build their numbers, my lord," said a female voice. Her companion shifted uneasily.  
"Are they headed this way Umah?" the vampire Vorador inquired nervously.  
"No, my lord. I do not understand it. They have begun traveling towards a human settlement. It makes no sense."  
"They must be attempting to recruit new fighters. Our last encounter with the Sarafan has caused heavy casualties on both sides."  
"Unfortunately, our casualties were far greater than the Sarafan's losses. With that Mobius meddling in this war, we are helpless. We must find a way to eliminate him," replied Umah.  
"Perhaps I can be of some assistance?" interrupted the sound of a third, unfamiliar voice. Umah and Vorador turned towards the shadows in surprise. Out from the darkness emerged the form of Kain. Vorador studied his new 'guest' warily. It was obvious that whoever this was, he was a vampire. But how Vorador never knew of this vampire's existence beforehand was a mystery to him.  
"And who might you be?" Vorador demanded. "And how did you find my mansion? It is so far secluded in the swamps of Nosgoth that not even most vampires can find there way here."  
"You could say that I am an ally," replied Kain, slightly disguising his voice. No need to cause questions that he couldn't answer without altering the course of time yet again. "And as to how I found your little hideaway...let's just say that I've known the location of your mansion for quite some time now."  
"What business do you have with us then?" Umah demanded to know the stranger's reason for his intrusion. She didn't trust him. She could sense something different about him.  
"Like I said before, I am a friend. I know your numbers are dwindling. You need all the help you can get. I am here to ensure the fall of the Sarafan Lord. You can count on that," replied Kain.  
"And what assurance do you claim to have? You have yet to prove yourself," Umah inquired.  
"This..." the future lord of vampires stated, as he unsheathed the Soul Reaver from his back. Umah and Vorador gasped in surprise.  
"The Soul Reaver! But how? The Sarafan Lord has had that blade in his possession since he defeated Kain! Does this mean he is defeated?" Vorador exclaimed.  
"Unfortunately, no," Kain replied bluntly.  
"So you are a lackey for the Sarafan Lord then! Here to destroy the leader of the vampire resistance!" Umah declared as she leapt at Kain, determined to defend the un-life of her lord. Kain simply blocked her attack and batted her away with his free hand. Umah quickly recovered, crouching in a defensive stance, waiting for a counter attack that never came. She realized that this stranger was far too powerful for her to combat. Kain calmly remained where he was.  
"Dear child, if I were here to kill Vorador, I would have been able to do it ten times over again already," he pointed out the obvious.  
"Then how did you acquire the Soul Reaver," Vorador questioned curiously. Kain sheathed the blade.  
"The Sarafan Lord still possesses the Reaver. The one I possess now is not from this time. This Reaver is from the past," explained Kain.  
"So, you work for Mobius then," Umah deduced.  
"Hardly. I was once a pawn of his, but I use his very own devices against him now. I have traveled to this time in hopes of stopping the Sarafan Lord from completing his plan."  
"And how would you know what his plan would be?" inquired a forth voice. All heads turned to the direction of the female's voice. The sound of footsteps slowly crossing the wooden floor resonated through the room as the figure emerged from the shadows. Kain sneered at the newest arrival as she came into view. She was a Sarafan.  
"Ah, Jenise. How is our guest faring? Has he stirred from his sleep yet?" Vorador welcomed the priestess. He seemed to have an enthusiastic liking for this woman.  
"I'm afraid his condition has not changed. The Sarafan Lord really did a number on him if he has been unconscious for this many years. Seems like Kain will remain this way for quite a few more years to come," she replied. Kain was barely able to notice the hidden hesistation the priestess held towards Vorador.  
"You have allowed a Sarafan into your midst? And a priestess at that?" fumed Kain, almost forgetting to disguise his voice.  
"Ex-Sarafan," corrected Jenise. "I am no longer a pawn to that inhuman monster. Not after learning the truth." This bit of information piqued Kain's interest.  
"And what truth have you come to discover, milady?"  
"The Sarafan Lord isn't even human. He is a demon. A member of a race of beings called the Hilden. They are infesting on our world, trying to take it over for their own. The only thing preventing the Hilden from a full invasion on Nosgoth is the existence of the vampires. And the Hilden are using humans to do this dirty work for them," Jenise explained with disgust. Kain snorted. He already knew this information. "Now you tell me, vampire, how did you know what the Sarafan Lord intends to do?"  
"I know how Mobius's tools of time work. I have used them to see into this era," Kain bent the truth ever so slightly so as to prevent revealing his identity. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some investigating I must attend to." With that last statement, Kain faded to nothingness as he teleported himself away.  
"I don't trust him," replied Jenise, glaring at the spot Kain once occupied.  
"Neither do I," agreed Umah. "I refuse to trust someone who doesn't even give the courtesy of giving his name.  
"I'm afraid we don't have a choice but to trust him," Vorador commented. "He had ample time to do us all in, even after he revealed himself. But yet he chose not to. He knows something, and I am determined to learn what knowledge he possesses."  
"So, what is our next move?" Umah inquired, changing the subject.  
"You say the Sarafan are on the move?" questioned Jenise. "Where are they headed?"  
"To a secluded village," answered Vorador. "Not far from the stronghold. Just beyond a mountain range I believe. Is that right Umah?"  
"Correct, my lord. It is a difficult journey to this town. Very treacherous. That was the reasoning behind its location. Though why they would want to travel all the way to Nochton for new recruits is beyond me." Jenise's jaw dropped in shock.  
"They don't plan on recruiting the villagers of Nochton. They are planning to attack it. I must go!" Jenise quickly departed, all thoughts on saving her home village. 


	10. Lessons of Life: The Rise of a Priestes...

Chapter Nine  
  
Raziel and Jenise emerged from the ancient edifice. They silently made their way towards the cave that served as the entrance to this cavern. Raziel couldn't help but study his new ally. He couldn't get past the idea that she wasn't...normal. There was some sort of connection he felt to her as well.  
"Why are you still carrying that shield?" Raziel finally broke the silence, noting the corroded scrap of metal still in Jenise's hands.  
"I hope I can get this repaired," she simply replied. "It's still a family heirloom. That, and it's the only thing I have left of my parents."  
"I see. Were they killed during the attack on your village?"  
"No. Unfortunately, they were killed years beforehand. My mother, to whom this shield belonged to before me, died while birthing me. Sort of a family curse I guess. The women in my blood line are unable to survive giving birth," she explained.  
"I'm sorry to hear that," Raziel gave his condolences, though not very well, being unsure how to react to such news.  
"It's okay. I never knew my mother anyway. But my father..."  
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to-"  
"No, it's fine. It happened many years ago. I was just a child, barely five years old when it happened. He was killed by a vampire...trying to protect me," she explained, her voice laced with remorse. "The vampire leader Vorador killed my father while trying to capture me."  
Raziel quirked his eyebrow. This seemed unlike the Vorador he knew. "Why would Vorador go after you?"  
Jenise gave an empty chuckle at what she was to say next. "After the Sarafan Lord defeated the vampire Kain, Vorador began searching for every existing vampire to create a resistance to the Sarafan movement. They were very few and far between. After many years, a rumor rose of a child with vampiric blood living amongst the humans-"  
"And you were that child?" Raziel interrupted, thinking back to her strange scent. This would sort of explain why she didn't seem normal to him.  
Jenise glared at him for his interruption. "No," she corrected. "I said it was a rumor. I didn't say it was true. But that didn't stop Vorador. He believed I was that child. And it cost my father's life. But Vorador's efforts were in vain. He had too few vampires with him to combat the warriors of my village. And instead of losing what few allies he had, he withdrew.  
"The damage had already been done, however. I helplessly watched my father die. But before he did, he left me this shield. It was to supposed to have been given to me when I reached adolescence, but because of Vorador, my father wouldn't be able to pass this heirloom to me at the appropriate time.   
"On that day, my hatred of vampires was born. My childhood was lost. I began asking the village elders about vampires, learning all I could of their strengths and weaknesses. I watched our warriors practice their fighting skills until I was old enough to wield a sword myself. Though I was laughed at for my efforts at first, I soon began earning the admiration of the warriors for my determination.  
"Finally, the most respected of the warriors, Zechariah, took me in as his pupil. He, of all the warriors in my village, was the most experienced in battle. I learned well from him, perfecting my skills. I trained under him for several years.   
"When I was fifteen, a band of Sarafan knights visited my village, looking for recruits. I volunteered immediately. The Sarafan laughed at me, lacking the preferred magic abilities the women of the Sarafan posses. They called me a 'weak delusional girl' for believing I would be useful with weapons.  
"Broken, but not beaten, I returned to my home with a plan. I chopped my hair short and put on my best armor, hiding my face and features. Grabbing my sword and this shield, I returned to the Sarafan and the group of new recruits as they were leaving the village. Disguised, I was able to travel the long journey to the Sarafan stronghold, where I met the Sarafan Lord for the first time.  
"I, of course, was soon discovered to be the girl they turned away, and not the boy they so willingly accepted. But the Sarafan Lord took a sort of amusement in my determination, and he decided to humor himself by 'testing' my abilities. Putting one of his best men against me, he ordered me to prove my worth.   
"It was the most difficult battle I remember ever fighting. Before that point in time, I had never had to fight so hard, as it became a fight for my life. Though I did not win that battle, I refused to give up. I was wounded and bleeding profusely, but the Sarafan Lord decided to spare me. I believe he saw the hatred I held for the vampires, and for Vorador above all else. And he decided to use that hatred to his advantage.  
"I became like his little pet. I knew he favored me. The other Sarafan warriors were seething with jealously over it. I was given the best training he could provide. I know now that he was shaping me into the assassin he wanted me to be. I had been brainwashed by the Sarafan Lord's promises for vengeance and by my own hatred. I had blindly murdered so many vampires, something I am very shameful of," she told Raziel of her history.  
"So why is it that the Sarafan Lord decided to kill you and your village?" the former vampire encouraged. Jenise sighed.  
"It was all just a chance occurrence. I was so close to achieving my revenge on Vorador. I had followed him far to the northern regions of Nosgoth to the outskirts of a Sarafan refuge camp. I had stumbled across a strange building. There were very few people around maintaining the building and its contents. But there was something strange about these individuals. They wouldn't respond to me, not even to stop to acknowledge my presence, as if there minds were not there or something.  
"Giving up on asking anyone for a place to stay for the night, I entered the building. What I found inside still haunts me. These creatures inside...they were hideous. What one would find only in their nightmares. They were operating strange devices, and that gateway. They were trying to open some sort of portal.   
"And then I saw him...the Sarafan Lord. He represented everything that I devoted myself to. And he was commanding them. Though I could not see him well from my vantage point, I watched quietly as he ordered the humans around, treating them like dogs. Slaving them to death.  
"Entranced, I studied the Lord as he neared my location. His objective was a human below the ledge I sat on, barely out of my viewpoint. Drawing nearer, I could see that he was not wearing the armor he had always wore since I had first laid eyes on him. And I was horrified. He was one of these monsters. Several times more hideous than any of the other creatures I had seen thus far.  
"I was too caught up in my stupor to notice who the Lord was victimizing before it was too late. Snapping back to reality, I realized that the poor human he was terrorizing was someone I had never in my life expected to see again: my father. I couldn't believe my eyes, and I doubted myself that it was really him. But I knew it was him. Vorador hadn't killed my father after all. Though severely injured by Vorador, the Hilden had somehow captured my father and enslaved him.  
"The Sarafan Lord knew I was there. He didn't call his servants on me, however. Instead, he wanted to punish me for my trespassing by torturing my father in front of my very eyes. When finished, he left my father's bleeding body in its spot before leaving with his Hilden followers.   
"When all was clear, I climbed down to my father's dying form. He was barely alive. When I looked into his eyes, I was crushed. There was no recognition in his eyes. The years of torture and enslavement had left him with no mind and no soul. And for the second time in my life, I watched my father die."  
Raziel and Jenise had reached the first obstacle within the tunnel-cave when she finished her story. There was a long silence as the two rested a moment before continuing.  
"Your story is so tragic. I can't tell you how sorry I am for your losses," Raziel attempted at comforting his companion.  
"Please, you don't need to feel sympathy for me. I wrought it upon myself. And my village for that matter. I continued to pursue Vorador, but not for revenge. For assistance. For that mistake, I cost the lives of my fellow villagers."  
Jenise looked down the steep rock face to the bottom of the cave below. Strapping her shield to her back, she steadied herself as she began the thirty foot decent to the ground below.  
"Hurry up, we haven't got all day," she called up to Raziel after descending a few feet. She was attempting to change the topic. She needed to be a little more upbeat for a while. The priestess was sick of all the drama for the time being.   
Jenise continued her climb when she heard a shuffling and a sound that resembled a flap of wings. She looked to her right to see Raziel, with his tattered wings outstretched, slowly descending to the ground with ease. She smirked at the sight.  
"Show off." 


	11. Anger Management

Chapter Ten  
  
When Raziel landed, Jenise was just above the halfway mark of the rock face. He quietly watched her as she almost too easily made her way down. Jenise could sense his eyes watching her.  
"You better not be looking at my ass," she forewarned him. Raziel gave a slight chuckle.  
"Hardly," he commented, though he continued watching her. Descending the wall, she seemed almost adept for this sort of obstacle, making only one or two slight, but easily corrected, mistakes. There was still something about her that puzzled him. After a few moments, Jenise decided she had come close enough to the ground to jump safely to the ground. Releasing her grip, she dropped the remaining six feet and landed with and echoing 'thunk'.  
"It's about time," Raziel teased, earning a glare from his comrade. The truth was, however, that she had descended the wall a lot faster than he had expected.  
"Come on, let's go," the priestess replied to Raziel as she headed further into the cave. Embarrassed, Raziel realized that he was too lost in thought to notice Jenise was continuing. He quickly caught up to her after a few paces. They remained quiet through this section of the tunnel, illuminated by the crystal formations. Not after long, they reached the next opening in the cave, where there was the twenty-foot cavern separating one side from the other.  
"Wait here," Raziel instructed as he shifted into the spectral realm.  
"What the-" Jenise gasped as she witnessed his disappearance. She looked around beside her to try to find her missing ally.  
"Jenise!"  
The priestess looked up and across the cavern to see Raziel waiting there for her.  
"Now how did you..." she began to inquire, before trailing off in thought. "You teleported there, didn't you?" Raziel snickered.  
"No, though it appears I did, didn't I?" He could tell she was extremely confused by the bewildered look on her face. He decided to explain to her before the confusion tormented her to her second death. "You should know, having been a spirit, that there is a material and spectral realm, separate but interwoven with each other at the same time."  
"Yeah. And your point being?"  
"The spectral realm is my natural plane of existence, but I am able to manifest myself in the physical realm. At my will, I can give up my physical form and revert back to the spirit world."  
Jenise nodded in newfound understanding. Before being able to do anything else, Raziel summoned the wraith blade to conjure the shadow element within it. He thrust the blade into the shadow glyph in the ground before him and recreated the bridge he had used earlier to cross the gap. Jenise watched his strange actions with interest. There were many questions she had to ask of him.  
"Walk across," Raziel instructed her. Jenise's head snapped up in his direction.  
"Are you crazy? There's no ground there! I'll fall to my doom! Is that what you want?" she shrieked. Raziel sighed.  
"No. Look. I created a bridge for you," he insisted while walking onto the almost invisible platform stretching from one side of the chasm to the other. Jenise, although still very skeptical, carefully placed a foot on the bridge, then a second. Getting the idea that it was sturdy, she hurried across the bridge.  
As she reached more sturdy ground, she turned to look at the bridge she had just crossed in time to see it disappear to nothing again. Her faced paled at the realization that she was just seconds from falling to the canyon below. Without saying a word, she continued through to the last section of cave before reemerging into the outside world. She could hear Raziel's echoing footsteps behind her.  
"I was just curious," the reaver asked, "how was it that you crossed that gap the first time?"   
Jenise glanced over her right shoulder and nonchalantly replied, "I jumped." Raziel's eyebrow shot upward.  
"You jumped?"  
"You heard me. Yes. I jumped."  
"But that's impossible. No human could jump that!" he protested her claim. Jenise paused in her tracks, sighing with frustration.  
"Look, I said I jumped the canyon. Okay? I was in a rage, chasing after the Sarafan Lord after discovering the destruction that was once my village. I wasn't going to let anything get in my way," she angrily gave an explanation. She barely waited a moment for Raziel to reply, but when he remained silent, she continued on her way, storming through the exit of the cave.  
Raziel could tell by her sudden change in mood, that perhaps he should keep off the subject for a while. She was obviously not over the betrayal of her former leader. Her past still seemed to haunt her. Though hesitant, Raziel was not discouraged to figure out what else it was he was sensing about her.   
Raziel noticed that Jenise had left his sight, and he quickly strode to catch up again. It wasn't until he had emerged from the cave when he had found her. She had stopped just outside the cave, waiting for him, though her back was to the entrance. He found her gazing at the sun, just beginning to show itself above the peak of the mountains.  
The former vampire quietly walked up to the priestess's right side, eyes captivated by the view. The sunrise was breathtaking. He never had witnessed anything so beautiful, at least nothing he could remember. The sun's rays were deadly to a fledgling vampire, and still slightly painful to a lieutenant like he had once been. Only Kain himself seemed the least effected by the sun.  
But it wasn't only the fact that the sun had been harmful to Raziel for so long. He would have been able to withstand the pain of its burning rays long enough to watch a sunrise. However, the smog of the chimneys had blanketed Nosgoth's skies for centuries. The sun had been visible through the thick smoke for a few moments only once or twice every century. Thrice if the humans were lucky.  
Raziel and Jenise watched the sun rise quietly, until it was high enough in the sky to shed some light into the dreary canyon they occupied. By this time, Jenise's gaze had turned from that of the rising sun to the decrepit remains of the forest. Not a single tree was alive. In a year's time, this once lush forest had withered and died.  
The two adventurers walked through the dead land until they came to the building containing the time streaming device. Jenise studied it carefully. After a few moments of assessment, she snorted at her own thoughts before sharing her realization with her companion.  
"This forest is destroyed. My village is gone. All that remains is this building, unscathed. This building, erected centuries ago, represented protection over our village. It was a gift from the oracle himself. But I know who the oracle really was. It's funny how this edifice is all that remains, as if silently gloating on Mobius's behalf at the downfall of my people."  
Raziel remained silent. He knew not how to comfort. Centuries of being a vampire had erased almost all knowledge of sympathy and compassion from his being. Suddenly, Jenise broke out of her stoic gaze and snatched up a few rocks from the ground. Throwing them violently at the building, she cursed wildly into the wind.  
"You think you can knock me down Mobius? You think that by killing everyone I knew will scare me? You think that by killing me you will stop me?" she raged as she scooped up more rocks from the ground, hurling them towards a high window in the building. "Think again Mobius! I'm coming after you! And after you're dead, I'm coming after your precious Sarafan Lord!" she screamed as the sound of shattering glass filled the air.  
"Jenise! Calm down!" Raziel commanded his hysteric friend, while grabbing her arms, preventing her from continuing her tirade. She struggled to free herself from his grip, but when she realized he was far too strong, she gave in. A single tear ran down her face.  
"Look, Jenise, I know what you're going through, trust me."  
"How could you possibly know..."  
"I was killed once, just like you. In my absence, my cla-my people were murdered. When I returned from death, there was nothing left for me other than my own vengeance. I have learned to cope with my anger, to put it aside until I could figure out everything I need to know. I know it's hard for you, but you will have to learn as well. There is far more to your story or mine than what has been revealed on the outside," Raziel spoke to her, calming her down finally. A strange man's voice interrupted.  
"There they are!" a Sarafan knight announced. "They must be the ones who killed our comrades!"  
"Get them!" announced a second, as a third joined their flank from behind the time chamber.  
"You two get that demon! I'll take care of the girl!" ordered the third, a Sarafan priest. The three Sarafans stormed their prey. Raziel drew his wraith blade as an unarmed Jenise prepared herself for combat with her assailant.  
"So, you are in aid of yon demon scum?" the priest interrogated Jenise. He sized her up as she took a defensive position. Noting her Sarafan armor, he added, "You are a traitor, and an insult to our holy cause, wench. Once I have killed you for your treachery, I shall display your head upon a pike as warning to all those who should even consider assisting a vampire!"  
The priest thrust at Jenise with his sword, but she dodged to the right. The priest then swung his sword in a sideways fashion at Jenise. Unable to dodge a second time, she took a painful blow to her left arm, leaving a gash halfway between her elbow and shoulder. Jenise stumbled back a few steps, clutching her wound, hissing from the pain.   
The priest attempted another thrust at her midsection. When Jenise jumped backwards to avoid the blade, she stumbled over a rock and fell backwards onto her rear. She looked up with wide eyes as the priest hefted his sword high over his head. His aura glowing, Jenise could tell he was summoning glyph energy with which to strengthen his final blow. Before she could stop her attacker, the blade came down upon her. 


	12. Interlude Three: Death Revisited

Chapter Eleven: Interlude Three  
  
Kain teleported to a high cliff overlooking the Sarafan stronghold. Out of sight from the warriors below, Kain watched their activities with mild amusement. A small grin tugged at his face as the last of the Sarafan army scaled the wall on the far side of the lake. He knew exactly when he was.  
"The massacre at Nochton," he replied to himself. "The epitome of the Sarafan Lord's evil nature. And yet, these noble humans still do not see it. Blindly following the Lord's every whim without so much as a second thought."  
With the last flank of warriors leaving Kain's sight, he could sense that Mobius was still residing within the stronghold, far from the protection of his Sarafan Lord. With a menacing grin, Kain teleported himself into the stronghold. Materializing within the safety of the stronghold, Kain noted the lack of intelligence the humans really held. With most of the warriors dispatched to battle, there was no one left to maintain the security of the stronghold. If Vorador's forces had been stronger at this time, he would have been able to annihilate everyone within this fortress.  
"Ah, Kain, I knew you would be returning after the Lord departed," came the all too familiar voice of Mobius from behind. Kain calmly remained where he stood.  
"And as you should, time streamer," the vampire's words were laced with malice.  
"Tell me, Kain. What is it you hope to discover within these walls? Surely you don't believe that learning the past will help you to change the flow of time? Your presence here will accomplish nothing, Kain. You cannot defy what fate has written for us."  
Kain turned slowly to face the time guardian. Noting that Mobius was armed with his staff, the vampire spoke. "Then why have you come to this place of time? My past self kills you centuries ago. Your existence here is as irrelevant as my own."  
Mobius chuckled at his own hidden knowledge. "Do not think that I don't already know that Kain. I am here simply to see things out. Revenge is a powerful thing. Even beyond death can its power take effect."  
As Mobius finished his cryptic message, he faded from sight as he teleported himself to a much safer location. Though he was wielding the staff capable of making a vampire vulnerable, the Kain he had just faced was the much stronger, evolved version from the distant future. Kain was left alone in the stronghold's garden to contemplate Mobius's words.  
Needing more insight into the situation, Kain decided to make a small visit to the cave of the Oracle. The insight it had offered of past, present and future had come to Kain's benefit, and disadvantage, numerous times. Kain decided it was time (no pun intended) to decipher the bits of memory he had retained. And maybe he would discover the hidden meaning in Mobius's words.  
Focusing on Nosgoth's northern lands, Kain again changed to his bat form and traveled to the entrance of the Oracle's cave. Ironic how Mobius's own safe haven would reveal its master's plans to the enemy. Chuckling, Kain entered the cave and began the winding descent to the chamber below. The hallways inside the cave were in much better shape then when Kain had last witnessed them, almost two millennia into the future.  
Kain paused briefly as he passed by one of the smaller time portals that lined the deepest of the caverns. The vampire continued onward before staying focused on that window of time. It was a waste of effort for Kain to bother with this and the other smaller 'looking glasses' of time. These smaller windows would only manifest an image of the onlooker's life history for a short period of time, and it was a random image at that.   
The vampire lord's goal within the underground Chronoplast chamber would be much more useful. Kain would be able to set the device for a particular spot in time and watch for however long he pleased. Along with that was the added benefit of being able to witness anything or anyone. The smaller portals would offer insight directly involving the watcher. The larger one would display an event from anyone else's life.  
A large grin spread across Kain's face as he entered the Chronoplast chamber. He would soon discover what schemes Mobius was trying to accomplish. And the vampire would be able to understand what had been altered in his history with the Hylden. Descending to the center of the chamber, Kain began to set the dials in accordance to the place in time in which he sought to see.  
With the time set, Kain watched the window of time patiently as the dark pool that was its contents began to shift and take form. A swirl of color began to emerge as the images took shape.  
Kain watched patiently as the images formed to the time and place of Mobius's death. His past self had not yet entered the chamber to which Mobius resided, but he found the time streamer in the room alone. The sorcerer stood patiently, as if waiting for someone. Kain grinned, knowing full well that it was he who Mobius was expecting. The chamber door to Mobius's keep was violently flung open  
"My lord! The vampire Kain approaches! Quick! We must hide ye and the Heart!" a Sarafan knight called out.  
"Do not worry. Kain will not find the Heart of Darkness," reassured Mobius. "Go and gather our troops together. Do not let him enter." The knight departed the room. Mobius then turned his attention away from the departing knight. His eyes scanned the room as if searching for something. Screams of pain interrupted the time streamer's attention, alerting him to the fact that Kain was just outside his chamber.  
Kain watched as his former self entered Mobius's chamber. The future version of the vampire lord watched intently as his past self fought the guardian of time. The battle was one-sided and the time streamer was murdered at the hands of the vampire. The image of Kain turned to leave the chamber, but hesitated a moment. He paused, slowly inspecting the room a moment before leaving. With Mobius's demise, the past version of Kain exited the chamber, his mission accomplished.   
The future version of Kain recollected that moment as he gazed at his former self. After killing Mobius, he remembered the sensation that there was another presence in the room, but he saw nothing there when he turned back. Still, he remembered feeling someone's eyes watching him...  
Kain was about to end this vision, but a subtle movement in a far, dark corner of the room caught his eye. To Kain's surprise, two figures emerged from the shadows of the chamber. The first figure Kain recognized. 'Raziel. So it was you. Were you hiding in there that whole time?' Kain thought to himself with realization. His attention was then brought to the second figure.  
Studying the second person, Kain recognized the craftsmanship of her armor and the symbols displayed on few pieces of her attire. 'I didn't expect you would form an alliance with a Sarafan, considering the hatred you have towards their genocidal actions. Especially the actions of your former Sarafan self.'  
Raziel and his Sarafan companion began searching the chamber. Kain watched these images with great interest.  
"Raziel, I believe I have found something!" the priestess called out. The former vampire rushed over to her side. She was standing next to an alter, which had been pressed up against a wall. The alter contained a large hourglass. The sand within the hourglass continuously poured from the top chamber into the bottom, never-ending, never needing to be turned over to continue the flow of sand. A candle on either side of the hourglass burned brightly, the wax never melting. The pedestal on which the alter lie was made of white marble.  
"There is a draft coming from behind this alter," the priestess pointed out to the reaver of souls. Noticing this as well, Raziel braced himself as he pushed the heavy stone to the side, revealing a hidden compartment. On a shelf inside the compartment was a wooden box, carved with intricate detail. Raziel carefully picked up the box and opened it slowly. Inside was the Heart of Darkness. Shutting the box with a snap, Raziel spoke to his companion.  
"Alright, we finally have the heart, Jenise. Now we must take this to Vorador."  
Kain chuckled lightheartedly. 'Ah, the priestess Jenise,' he recollected the brief encounter he had with the warrior only a few hours ago. 'How interesting that you should find yourself in Raziel's company.'  
As the two warriors departed the chamber of the time streamer, Kain ended his vision into his past. "So, by this time, Raziel almost has everything figured out," Kain mused to himself. "I suppose I should meet up with him shortly after this event. And perhaps properly introduce myself to his new friend." 


	13. The Village of Ash

Chapter Twelve  
  
Jenise jumped back, avoiding the attempted blow from the Sarafan priest. Tripping over a rock, she fell backwards onto her rear. She looked up with wide eyes as the priest hefted his sword high over his head. His aura glowing, Jenise could tell he was summoning glyph energy with which to strengthen his final blow. Before she could stop her attacker, the blade came down upon her.  
At the last second, Jenise rolled to her left. The blade crashed down into the ground barely inches from her head. The Sarafan attempted to pull his blade back up into another attack, but found the blade stuck in the ground. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jenise kicked out across the back of the priest's ankles, causing his feet to sweep out from underneath him.  
With her opponent on the ground, Jenise jumped back up to her feet. She reached for the sword's handle and with a fierce pull; she freed it from its lodged position. Turning her attention back to the priest, she was taken by surprise as his fist connected with her jaw. The force of the blow sent Jenise's head spinning to the right, taking the rest of her body with it. The priest grabbed Jenise from behind in a headlock, attempting to cut off her air supply until she passed out in an effort to subdue her. Jenise countered with several blows to the Sarafan's middle with her elbow.  
Having knocked the wind out of the priest, Jenise freed herself from her assailant. The priest fell to his knees struggling to breathe. Still holding the sword with her right hand, Jenise used her free hand to soothe the forming bruises on her neck and jaw. She kept her eyes on her adversary, assuring he wouldn't attack her off guard again. Satisfied with her attempts at soothing the pain in her neck, she kicked the priest in the ribs, preventing his recovery.  
Raziel had less difficulty with his opponents. Though they tried to double-team the reaver of souls, he was far stronger than anything they had ever fought before. Both Sarafan warriors wielded pole arms, giving them considerable reaching distance, but sacrificed their speed. Keeping the first Sarafan between himself and the second, Raziel was able to avoid a two-on-one brawl for the most part.  
The first knight thrust his pole arm at Raziel, who easily dodged the attack. Raziel swung the Soul Reaver at the knight. The knight grunted in pain caused by the gash in his arm. The second Sarafan took the opportunity to attack Raziel, however, the attack was in vain. Raziel leapt out of the way and brought the Reaver down across the knight's back. The first knight had recovered somewhat, and had jabbed Raziel in the side with the end of his pole arm.  
Raziel fell back a few steps, but was unfazed. The first Sarafan summoned up his glyph energy in an attempt to strike Raziel down. However, the former vampire easily dodged the slow attack. He swung the wraith blade at the knight. The blow resulted in the amputation of the Sarafan's arm. The second warrior decided to make an attempt at a successful assault. He swung his weapon at Raziel, but his weakened condition left him vulnerable to attack. Raziel disposed of him quickly.  
Turning his attention back to the previous Sarafan, Raziel noticed that the loss of blood from his wound left him staggering in place. Raziel did him the courtesy of easing his suffering. Impaling the Sarafan with the wraith blade, Raziel released the knight's soul. Needing to heal his own wounds, Raziel devoured the souls of the Sarafan warriors. With his foes defeated, he looked over to Jenise to see how she was faring.  
Despite a few bruises, Jenise seemed to be fairing well. She had successfully disarmed her assailant, who was on his hands and knees struggling to breathe. Raziel noticed that Jenise had a murderous glint in her eyes. Her face devoid of emotion, she stared unblinking at her opponent. Slowly, she brought the sword high above her head. Before the priest could see what fate was in store for him, Jenise brought the sword down upon him. In one clean swipe, she decapitated her victim. As the Sarafan's head rolled away, his body fell to the ground with a quiet thump.  
Raziel was almost shocked at her brutality. It sunk in how rough Jenise's life must have been to have created such a brutal killing instinct within her. She stood stoically in place, staring at the body of her fallen opponent as if it would jump up and attack her again. With the heat of the battle still fresh in her mind, she seemed cut off to the world around her. The reaver of souls was actually beginning to be a bit spooked by her silent stature. Almost as if to reassure himself more than Jenise, he tried to pull her from her trance. Walking up next to Jenise, Raziel spoke to her.  
"Jenise, he's de-" he began as he placed his hand on her left shoulder. The sudden contact caused Jenise to unexpectantly jump. She instinctively lunged at the intrusion. Unfortunately for Raziel, he was the source. Jenise shoved Raziel back a few paces with her left elbow. With her right hand she raised the sword in preparation for attack. Raziel was shocked when he looked into her eyes. There was no sign of recognition within them.  
"Jenise!" Raziel yelled in a panic when she began to thrust the sword in an attack. Jenise jerked to a stop in mid-swing at the call of her name. She blinked a few times as she seemed to regain control of her senses. Opening her eyes, she looked down at her right hand, still wielding the sword. She looked up at Raziel, confusion in her eyes. Looking back down at the blade in her hand, realization finally hit.  
"My God!" she blurted in shock as she dropped the sword. The Sarafan weapon hit the ground with a metallic 'twank'. "I...I'm sorry, Raziel...I have to go..." Jenise stuttered as she turned to walk away.  
"Jenise! Wait! Where are you going?" Raziel ran in front of the departing priestess, preventing her departure.  
"Away from you. Not because of you, but because of me. I was about to attack you, Raziel, and I didn't even realize it. What's to say it won't happen again?"  
"So what if you did? You couldn't kill me anyway. If you were able to injure me badly enough, I would just dissipate into the spectral realm and I'd just have to manifest myself back into the material realm. You'd only succeed in pissing me off. And then you'd wish you could rematerialize back to the physical world," Raziel joked, attempting to lighten the mood. Jenise grinned slightly at the humor before sighing in defeat.  
"I don't suppose you'd let me leave on my own anyway, right?" she gave in.  
"And let you rampage across Nosgoth killing everyone in your path? An entertaining thought, but we do have Mobius and the Sarafan Lord to deal with," Raziel brought the situation back to reality.  
"Alright. Then where to boss?"  
"I was thinking we should pay Mobius a visit. I'm sure he's hidden himself deep within the Sarafan stronghold like the sniveling coward he is," Raziel suggested.  
"Then we're off," stated Jenise as she began walking along the path headed to the resting ground of her fallen village.  
"Aren't you going to take a weapon? We most certainly will encounter more Sarafan. You will need something to arm yourself in combat with."  
"Yes, but not any of those weapons," Jenise explained, not stopping. Raziel followed close behind. "Those are Sarafan weapons. They have been enchanted by the strange glyph energy the Sarafan Lord possesses. They are useless to me."  
Raziel nodded, though he still did not understand why Jenise would pass up a perfectly good weapon, causing her to be vulnerable to attack. They quietly made their way to Jenise's village. Jenise paused a moment, taking in the site of destruction. The two slowly walked down the main road through the town. Jenise suddenly stopped and bent over to pick up a sign. The wooden sign was slightly charred from the fires, but was still legible. Raziel looked over Jenise's shoulder, curious as to what she was holding.  
"Village of Nochton," the former vampire read aloud. Jenise nodded.  
"When my village was first established, the founders of the village named it after the city of their origin: Nochtholm. Nochtholm was attacked by a vampire. Not so coincidentally, it was the very same Kain that you spoke of earlier who had infiltrated the city's defenses. The founders of Nochton fled the city during Kain's raid. They were on their way to the stronghold when they discovered this canyon.   
"Feeling that the natural terrain was excellent protection from vampires, the founders built their village here. Soon, others who were seeking refuge from the vampires fled to this village. They felt safe with the Sarafan stronghold in such close proximity. Only once during Nochton's 350 years was it ever attacked by vampires."  
Finishing her story, Jenise dropped the sign and turned towards one of the ruined buildings. Raziel followed silently, but curiously. The foundation and a few support beams were all that was left of the buildling, aside from some ash and charred debris. Making their way through the remains of the shop, Raziel noted by the equipment inside that this building had once belonged to a blacksmith.   
Jenise stopped when she reached the far back corner of the building. Before her, was a large wooden case. It too, had been damaged by the fires, but remained in tact for the most part. Prying open the door, Jenise revealed a few finely crafted swords. Any weapons that had been left out during the village's destruction had been obviously pilfered by the Sarafan.   
Jenise reached into the case and selected a weapon. The priestess held the sword of choice up, assessing its strengths and weaknesses. It was a bit narrower than normal, giving the wielder more flexibility. However, if poorly crafted, it would snap easily. Fortunately, Jenise could tell that a lot of time and care went into the forging of this particular weapon. The sword itself was constructed of the finest metal available. The blade had been molded to perfection. Jenise knew this sword was a keeper.  
Turning to Raziel, she spoke, "Okay, I'm armed. Is it safe to proceed now?"  
Raziel silently nodded as Jenise left the crippled ruins of the building. Before following, Raziel quickly grabbed a weapon for himself, although he didn't take the time to examine his sword like Jenise had hers. 'Just in case,' he thought to himself as he caught up to his partner in combat.  
Raziel and Jenise left the village behind them without so much as a glance back. They made good time crossing the canyon to the rock face where the path to the stronghold was located high above. The two warriors stopped about ten feet from the bottom of the cliff, looking upward, examining the obstacle in their path.  
"So how was it that the villagers scaled this cliff?" Raziel inquired. Jenise rolled her eyes as if the answer was obvious.  
"We had ladders, you know," she rudely remarked. "Something we don't have now. Have any ideas?"  
"Maybe," Raziel stated. "Stand back." Jenise backed up about ten paces. Raziel dropped the sword he had recently acquired. Calling upon the element of earth within the Soul Reaver, he took aim at the cliff wall. He released several balls of energy at the rock surface. As each sphere crashed into the wall, pieces of rock and dirt fell loose.  
After releasing a dozen or so blasts in various locations up the cliff wall, Raziel picked up the long sword he had set on the ground, as he waited for the dust to settle. Jenise waited patiently, wondering what Raziel's intent had been. After several long moments, the clouds of dust began to break up. Revealed through the dirt, was the transformed surface of the rock wall. Where the blasts had made contact with the wall, grooves had been created for which to scale the wall.  
"Do you think you'll be able to climb that? Or should I have to carry you?" Raziel queried, turning towards Jenise. A smirk spread across her face.  
"If you can climb it, then so can I," she retorted, as she sheathed her sword. Raziel leapt upward and clung to the wall. Getting a good grip, he began his ascent. Jenise watched intently as he easily made his way upward. Once he was halfway up, Jenise approached the wall. Grabbing hold, she too began her climb.  
Raziel quickly reached the pinnacle. He turned and looked down to make sure Jenise didn't need any help. And that's what Raziel discovered. The priestess needed no assistance at all. She climbed the wall almost as easily as he had. Raziel hadn't seen another being other than himself scale a wall that easily since his visit to the Silent Cathedral where Zephon had built his nest.  
With a final heave, Jenise pulled herself over the edge of the cliff. Dusting herself off, she rose to her feet and gave Raziel a triumphant glance. The reaver of souls merely turned away, and began heading towards the stronghold. Jenise ignored the fact that Raziel was pretending to be unimpressed. She knew he didn't expect her to climb to the top without his help.  
Raziel and Jenise quickly traveled the high path towards the stronghold. Jenise could feel her adrenaline rise in anticipation of battle. Revenge was still priority in her mind. Rounding the last few turns in the path, the stronghold was revealed at last to Raziel and Jenise through the opening in the cliffs. They stopped at the end of the passageway, looking down at the unsuspecting edifice below.  
The stronghold was the representation of betrayal to Jenise. The priestess glared downward at the building that had been her home for several years of her life. Soon, she would have vengeance for the death of her people. 


	14. Into Enemy Grounds

Chapter Thirteen  
  
Jenise and Raziel stood at the end of the cliff passageway, looking down upon the Sarafan stronghold. A moment of calm before they infiltrated the enemy's base. The only Sarafan guarding their safe haven were atop the cliff across from the lake on the path that led to the Pillars. Not a very wise idea.  
The two comrades began to discretely descend the cliff, clinging onto the small ledges available for footholds. They both reached the bottom with little difficulty and turned their attention to the lake before them. The last time Raziel had set his eyes upon the watery mass, it had been completely frozen over. Not so this time, for it was late spring and the water was full of life, free from its winter shackles.  
"We'll have to swim to the other side," Raziel informed. "From there I can open those large doors and gain access inside the stronghold."  
"I can't swim across with all my armor on! I'll sink to the bottom!"  
"So take it off," Raziel sighed with annoyance.  
"Not in front of you I won't! You swim across first and I'll catch up on the other side," she demanded.  
"Fine," Raziel agreed, and dove into the water. Jenise watched him dive under the surface of the water, swimming away from her in a fast pace. When she could barely see him anymore, she began to remove her armor.   
The heavy chest plate that covered her entire upper torso definitely had to go. Her leg guards...gone. She peeled off her wrist bands as they would hinder her swimming. Stripping herself of the heavy chain mail she wore as secondary protection, she lay that on the ground. She placed all other pieces of armor on top of the mail. Finally, she removed her steel boots and placed those too, on the mail.   
The remaining garments Jenise left on were a shirt and leggings, both made of an unrestricting, cotton material. The shirt had short sleeves, which were only a few inches past her shoulders and the leggings reached halfway down her calves. The material was comfortable, not too hot, but not too cold.  
Jenise looked down at her feet and scowled. She hated her hideous, deformed feet. In her eyes, it was a curse that had been passed down from mother to daughter for generations. If she were able to swim with her boots on, she would have left them on. But she knew that was impossible, especially if she was going to lug her armor across her back as she swam to the far shore on the other side.   
Jenise decided she would just throw her boots back on as soon as she reached solid ground again. There was no way she was going to let Raziel see her ugly, shameful feet. Or anyone else for that matter. She did not have the desire to have people look at her with disgust.  
Tying the arms together and legs together of her chain mail, Jenise tightly secured her armor within the bundle. She then wrapped the mail around her back and tied the arms and legs around her front. The weight was still going to be a hindrance, but at least the bulk wouldn't prevent her from swimming.  
She eased herself into the water and began swimming across the surface of the lake. She was only out about thirty feet or so when she saw Raziel leap out of the water on the other side and land on the ground. 'Lucky bastard,' she growled to herself, 'doesn't need armor. Just goes around not caring if he gets hurt.'  
The armor was definitely slowing the priestess down. However, her determination kept her focused on her objective. Raziel quietly watched Jenise struggle across the lake, prepared to dive in at the second she should ask for help. But the plea never came. As she finally neared the shore, she huffed out to him.  
"Well...hurry up...and open that...door already!" she ordered between strokes. Raziel rolled his eyes as he turned from Jenise. She was only about fifteen feet from the shore. He knew that she sure as hell wasn't going to give up and drown now after having struggled across that entire lake. The reaver of souls called up the element of light within the wraith blade and aimed a projectile at the crystal above the giant doors to the stronghold.  
With Raziel's attention on more pressing matters, Jenise climbed upon the shore, relieved to be on solid ground again. Taking a few deep breaths, she quickly untied her chain mail and began replacing her armor, starting with her boots. She was snapping her chest plate armor back on when Raziel turned back to her; the stronghold doors were wide open.  
"You know, we have to swim to get inside, right?" Raziel questioned, taking note that she had hurriedly replaced her armor. Jenise looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.  
"You're not serious, are you?" asked the priestess. Raziel answered with a single nod. "Damn it!" Jenise cursed. "I'm not taking this back off again! The distance is much shorter. I'll just go like this. If I drown, I drown!"  
Raziel shook his head in disappointment at her stubbornness. Just what was the big deal anyway? Deciding that it wasn't worth getting worked up over, he dove into the water again and entered the stronghold. Jenise walked along the shore until she reached the spot she felt was closest to the entrance.  
Climbing into the water, she decided it would be easier to swim on her back with the added bulk. It was easier to float on one's backside than on one one's front, right? The armor on her arms and legs caused a severe deficit in her ability to swim. Moving through the water like a snail across an open field, Jenise slowly made her way through the doorway. Looking up, she could see the high archway as she passed underneath it.  
'Almost there,' she thought, as she struggled to keep herself afloat. Suddenly and unexpectedly, she felt something grab her and she felt herself being yanked up and out of the water. The next thing she knew, she felt her rear collide painfully with the stone floor inside the stronghold. Blinking in confusion, she saw two blue, decayed legs in front of her. She knew instantly whose legs they belonged to, and followed them up to Raziel's face.  
"Why the hell did you do that for?" she demanded. Raziel looked at her with a stern face.  
"You were on your way to a watery grave," he enlightened her. "You were moments from sinking beneath the surface and on your way below this platform we're currently standing on. Had I not grabbed you, you surely would have drowned."  
Shock spread across Jenise's face at the realization of her near death. She was unaware that her armor was pulling her down that much or that she was so close to the platform. She stumbled to her feet, water dripping from crevices in her armor. Raziel had turned away from her and was looking intently down the corridor leading further into the stronghold. She could sense a sort of resentment resonating from Raziel.  
"Thanks," she muttered, barely loud enough for Raziel to hear. He turned slightly towards her in response, and nodded a 'you're welcome'. He then turned back towards the corridor. Jenise walked up beside him.  
"It's very quiet in here. Too quiet. There's almost no one around," the former vampire informed his companion, changing the subject.  
"We should be careful then. It is possible Mobius knows of our arrival here and has planned an ambush."  
Jenise and Raziel quietly crept down the corridor, keeping to the shadows. They reached the corner of the massive hallway and hadn't seen a single Sarafan on guard. Peering around the corner, Jenise spotted a guardsman, at his post outside a large chamber door. She studied the oblivious warrior for a moment or two before ducking back behind the corner.  
"What did you see?" Raziel inquired, a little impatiently.  
"A single Sarafan soldier standing guard. Based upon his insignia, he's a very low ranking warrior," informed Jenise.  
"Insignia?"  
"Yes, his insignia. On his shoulder plates, like mine," she explained, while tapping her left shoulder guard with her right hand. "He's barely a step above the lowest rank, meaning he's only been a Sarafan for a few months."  
"So he should be no obstacle to us then?" Raziel wished to confirm as the wraith blade pulsed with anticipation.  
"No, Raziel. I don't think we should attack him," the priestess halted her partner from ambushing the unsuspecting Sarafan. She took a moment to think quietly to herself, then suddenly announced, "I have a plan." 


	15. Old Rivals

Chapter Forteen  
  
"No, Raziel. I don't think we should attack him," the priestess halted her partner from ambushing the unsuspecting Sarafan. She took a moment to think quietly to herself, then suddenly announced, "I have a plan."  
Raziel responded with quiet curiosity. He wanted to know what Jenise's reasoning was behind her sudden refrain from confrontation. An amateur Sarafan warrior could be taken by surprise and eliminated before he even realized it. Jenise finally answered his silent ponderings.  
"Because he was only recently recruited, he won't recognize me. And my high rank is more than enough than to intimidate a low rank such as he. I can make him tell me everything he knows without even having to try. Now we won't have to go searching through every single chamber in this place to find Moebius. We'll just go straight to him and take him by surprise," Jenise plotted, a crazed devious look seemed to glow in her eyes.  
"And what am I to do?" inquired the reaver of souls.  
"You'll be my back up. Just in case a high ranking Sarafan should decide to meet his untimely fate. That's what you'll be there for."  
Raziel sighed, rolling his eyes. Since when did he become somebody's body guard, and of a Sarafan no less? Jenise calmly walked over to a rack containing some armor and selected a helmet. The helm completely covered her head, except for the face, which was open, minus the bridge plate extending from the top of the piece of armor and down over her nose. Raziel raised his eyebrow as if to say 'What is that for?'  
Jenise answered without him having to voice his question. "Now he won't be able to give his superiors my description when he reports my appearance here to them."   
Raziel nodded in agreement. Ensuring the helmet was on securely, Jenise took up a dominant poise and confidently strode out from behind the corner. The Sarafan guard immediately noticed Jenise's arrival and stood at attention.  
"Why are you the only one at this post, guardsman?" the priestess sternly demanded of the Sarafan.  
"The Lord has gathered the Sarafan army together," answered the guard nervously.  
"And where have they gone?"  
"T-to the city of Meridian. They departed just over a week ago."  
"That's quite the journey," Jenise commented to herself before turning back to the guard. "And how many has he left here to guard the stronghold?"  
"About thirty or so," the guard replied timidly, afraid for taking flack for the orders of his superior. "Are...are you here to take command of our forces here?"  
Jenise was shocked at the sudden question, but hid it well. "Hasn't Lord Moebius been left in command of the stronghold?"  
"Yes, milady. But Lord Moebius, he...he disappeared two days ago. He was last seen entering his chambers for the evening. No one has seen him since. We are unable to summon him from his chamber. Not even a word escapes that room."  
Jenise turned her back to the guard. Was no one in charge of the stronghold? Why would the Sarafan Lord sacrifice the sanctity of the stronghold in an effort to overtake Meridian, the city with the strongest loyalty to the Sarafan cause? And why would Moebius choose to abandon the Sarafan of this time when their forces seemed to be dominating Nosgoth? Nothing was making sense. Jenise turned back to the guard to continue her interrogation.  
"Why has the Lord seen fit to relocate our base of operation to the city of Meridian? Last I knew, Meridian was more than capable of defending themselves from vampires."  
"He dost not say, milady," answered the guard, his tone turning towards the suspicious side. "Why so many questions? Surely, you should know what the Lord has planned, given your high rank."  
Jenise narrowed her eyes at the guard in a threatening glare at his deliberate insolence. She instantly conjured up a believable excuse. "I, soldier, have been following my orders, as my Lord has commanded me. I was assigned to the outpost in Coorhagen. My orders were to evaluate our forces in the far north and then return to the stronghold. I had hoped to give my report to the Lord personally. Now I see I shall have to pursue him to Meridian."  
"And why is it that I did not hear of a post in Coorhagen?" the guard boldly countered.  
"You are treading on very thin ice, guardsman," warned Jenise with a low toned growl. The guard was not so much the push over she had assumed. His intuitiveness should have earned him a few ranks by now, but the Sarafan Lord's interest in other areas had caused an oversight, unfortunately for this guard.  
"I was sent to Coorhagen a year ago. And the reason you have never heard of the post there is because the vampires have decimated our armies there. Very few of our men were left when I arrived. My stay was prolonged so that I could salvage what we had left of our forces. When I felt the Sarafan numbers were replenished sufficiently with new recruits, I immediately departed to give my report to our Lord," the priestess lied convincingly. To further her legitimacy, she called a bluff, one she would later regret calling.  
"Do you always question your superiors with such lack of respect, guardsman?" she demanded, emphasizing the word guardsman, reminding the Sarafan of his rank. "I shall wish to see the Priest acting in Mobius's place. I shall inform him of my arrival here...and your lack of respect for authority."  
The guard seemed almost unfazed. "Why of course, milady. High Priest Stephin is expected at this post any moment for my status report. You are invited to stay whilst I await his arrival."  
Jenise's eyes almost widened in shock. Stephin? He's here? High Priest Stephin? Jenise had risen through the ranks of the Sarafan side by side with Stephin, much to their displeasure. The two warriors had been very competitive with one another. Their rivalry only grew worse and worse throughout the years. Added to that was the jealously each held for one another. Stephin was jealous that Jenise was the Lord's obvious favorite. Jenise's jealously was over the fact that Stephin mastered the one Sarafan technique she could not: Glyph manipulation.  
The truth was, Jenise was never able to harness glyph energy. She never needed to rely upon it. Her physical strength was superior to the average Sarafan's strength. Therefore, it did not bother her that many of the knights, who were of lower rank than her, were able to use glyph energy. However, when her rival Stephin was able to master the most difficult of glyph energy, she was overcome with envy and jealousy.  
Under normal use of glyph energy, the Sarafan would conjure the needed energy into the weapon they were wielding called glyph manifestation. Glyph energy is normally too strong for a Sarafan to contain without a physical conduit. The added boost of power would only last long enough to attack an opponent with a single blow.   
Unlike glyph manifestation, glyph manipulation did not require a weapon host. The energy could be summoned and controlled by the Sarafan directly. The energy would enhance the Sarafan's strength and speed, rather than the strength and dexterity of the weapon. Only a highly skilled Sarafan priest could master manipulation after many years of extreme training. Stephin had achieved this technique only a few weeks before Jenise's uncovering of the Sarafan Lord's hidden truths.  
"No. I believe I shall seek out Priest Stephin myself. I would like to speak to him in private," Jenise declined the guardsman's offer to wait for the priest's arrival. She did not want to alert Stephin to her existence. His loyalty to the Sarafan Lord would immediately cause Stephin to send a messenger to deliver the news of Jenise's survival to the Lord. As she spoke, Jenise turned away from the guardsman and began to head back towards Raziel's hidden location.  
"Milady, you are headed the wrong way. High Priest Stephin is beyond this gate," the guardsman halted Jenise while pointing towards the aforementioned gate. Jenise stopped in her tracks. Her plan was quickly falling to pieces. She turned back towards the guardsman, trying to think up an excuse for her error.   
Before Jenise could answer the guardsman's questioning glare, the sound of the solid iron gate sliding upwards interrupted the silent interrogation. From behind the gate, three Sarafan warriors revealed themselves. Two of them were high-ranking knights, near priest level. The third was unmistakably High Priest Stephin. Jenise composed herself, preparing for the inevitable encounter.  
"Milord, we have an unexpected guest," the guardsman informed Stephin immediately upon his arrival. The priest turned his attention to Jenise as the guardsman continued. "She has come with news for the Sarafan Lord from Coorhagen in the far north," he retold. Stephin studied Jenise with suspicion.  
"And what news dost thou bring from Coorhagen, priestess?" Stephin inquired.  
"At my Lord's request, my information is for his ears only," answered Jenise, attempting to avoid a lengthy confrontation. "I was preparing to depart to Meridian where I hope to catch up to my Lord."  
Stephin slowly approached Jenise, rubbing his chin in thought. "Interesting. I do not recall my Lord having sent anyone to Coorhagen," he smugly replied. "Your presence is quite intriguing. I knew of only one Sarafan Priestess, and I'm afraid she had become half-crazed with madness. She openly defied our Lord, making absurd accusations against him.   
"Our Lord had sent Sarafan to her village in an attempt to find her, to help her. When we arrived at her village, we found that they were planning a rebellion. It appeared that the priestess had infected her village with the same madness that haunted her. We had no choice but to defend ourselves against rioting villagers.   
"The Lord went on ahead of us while we...dealt...with the situation. He was determined to find the missing priestess before she infected more. When he returned the following day, he had informed us of the priestess's demise. She had been attacked by a demon of fire. In her senile state of mind, she foolishly believed she could defeat the demon. Despite my Lord's attempts to save her from the hands of the beast, she still perished.   
"I'm certain you must have heard of this priestess. She was of the same rank you now hold when she was slain," Stephin told the altered tale of Jenise's fall. The priestess's blood boiled with his false allegations. The three other Sarafan, of course, believed Stephin's story.  
"Yes. I am familiar with the story of that priestess," Jenise replied calmly, but her voice was laced with contempt. "However, the version I know was much different than the one you dictated. The story I was told was that the priestess was a very powerful warrior and was very headstrong. Her loyalty to the Sarafan and to our Lord was matched by no other."  
"Those opinions contradict her treacherous actions. She was a warrior with few morals and no honor. Surely, you are not defending that traitor?" Stephin bated the priestess. Unable to contain her anger any longer, Jenise unsheathed her sword in a blind rage.   
"I am no traitor! And I have more honor and better morals than that coward of a Lord will ever have!" she screamed, forgetting that she was trying to hide her identity. A malicious grin spread across Stephin's face. A glint of joy filled his eye.  
"So, Jenise. I never would have imagined that I would encounter you face to face ever again. I don't know how you managed to survive, but it was a fatal mistake on your part to have come here. I will take great pleasure in taking your life with my own hands," the high priest snickered as he slowly unsheathed his sword, seeming to savor every second of the upcoming fight.  
The priest and priestess raised both their weapons in preparation for battle. The knights who had accompanied Stephin into the corridor drew their weapons. Stephin raised his left hand to them, wordlessly calling them off. They understood perfectly that this was a battle he wished to fight alone in. Stephin and Jenise slowly circled each other, sizing each other up. For once, Jenise was actually questioning whether or not she would win this battle. Suddenly, without warning, the two warriors simultaneously charged at each other. 


	16. Cruetly of the Sarafan

Chapter Sixteen  
  
Jenise and Stephin charged at each other, the lust for the other's blood gleaming in their eyes. Going into the battle, Jenise was unsure if she would be able to match Stephin's strength and skill in combat. During the year she was dead, Stephen had grown in strength, classifying him at the highest Sarafan rank.  
When Jenise had left Raziel to conduct her interrogation, the reaver of souls remained concealed behind the corner in the corridor, much to his dismay. He strained to listen in on the conversation at hand, but was displeased with the fact that Jenise was too far down the hallway to hear her clearly. The spacious corridor had also created a soft echo, making spoken words less clear.   
Raziel decided he would stand guard from his side of the corridor, ensuring that no Sarafan entering the stronghold would be able to take Jenise by surprise. Raziel's patience was wearing thin as the minutes passed by. Hadn't Jenise gotten the information she requested? He continued waiting a few more moments, hoping that Jenise would reappear any moment. When she failed to return, Raziel gave up and decided he would take matters into his own hands.  
Just as Raziel was about to emerge from his post, he heard the distinctive sound of metal on metal followed by a grunt of exertion. Raziel quickly turned the corner, and froze in shock. Before him, he saw Jenise surrounded by Sarafan. Around her were the guardsman, two powerful knights, and a high-ranking priest. And to Raziel's dismay, Jenise had chosen to pick a fight with the strongest of the group.  
"Foolish girl! What has she gotten herself into now?" Raziel griped as he hefted the long sword he had recently obtained. "She still has injuries from her last battle, and she decides to battle against a Sarafan stronger than she?"  
Raziel quickly approached the battle. He was in no mood to mess around and intended on ending the scuffle quickly. He had more important matters to attend to. He didn't want to waste his time rescuing a short-tempered priestess from a battle she should have been smart enough to not have started. Ducking from a potentially fatal swing, Jenise noticed Raziel's approach.  
"Stay out of this Raziel. This is between me and him," she warned in a low growl. Stephin glanced over his left shoulder, confirming the presence of this 'Raziel'.  
"So, you have brought an ally, Jenise. Though by the looks of him, I don't see how he could possibly be of any assistance to you. But this, I can tell: you have betrayed the Sarafan by confiding in a demon such as that. By this simple act, you have signed your own death warrant," taunted Stephin. He then directed his next comment to the knights. "Derrick. Tantus. Destroy that beast."  
Once again, Raziel found himself on the disadvantaged side of a two-on-one. He crouched into a defensive position as the knights took to arms and charged after him. It seemed they were overconfident with themselves, eager to obey their master's order. Both the knights were armed with short swords, making the battle easier to win. His sword had a longer reach and the bear of the sword's weight did not affect Raziel, unlike his opponents.  
The first of the knights attempted to distract Raziel while the second attacked from behind. However, Raziel's experience in battle prepared him for such an amateur tactic. Before the first knight could attack, Raziel swung his sword at the knight, taking him by surprise. The knight raised his sword to block the attack, but he didn't feel his sword make contact with his opponent's.  
Instead, Raziel had pulled the swing at the last moment. Using the momentum, he spun on his heal, turning 180 degrees to face the second knight. Raziel swung his sword down and across the Sarafan's torso, causing the unsuspecting knight to howl in pain. Raziel then turned back to the first knight, who was still shocked by the speed at which Raziel fought.  
Raziel thrust his sword at the knight, who at the last moment dodged out of the way, missing the blow by a hair. He wasn't given a chance to recover, as he found himself on the wrong side of another attack. Raziel brought the sword down again, and with it, took the Sarafan's left hand. The knight dropped his sword, and clutched the stump of his left arm, screaming in pain.  
Distracted by his injury, the knight did not notice Raziel pull his sword back for a third attack. It wasn't until he could feel the cold of the metal through his chest that the knight realized he had been impaled by Raziel's weapon. He looked down at the hilt of the sword sticking out of his chest before looking up into Raziel's eyes. An expression of shock and horror filled the knight's face for a moment, before relaxing as death overtook him. His body slumped to the ground.  
The second knight had gained his second wind and charged at Raziel, growling with rage. The knight was able to connect a blow across Raziel's back, causing the reaver of souls to grunt in pain. Raziel quickly scooped up the discarded weapon of the first knight and turned to the one remaining.  
The knight seemed to hesitate a moment, attempting to calculate his next attack. He took a poorly aimed swing at Raziel, who easily avoided the attack. While Raziel dodged, the knight attempted to summon glyph energy into his weapon. With both arms hefted over his head, the knight left himself open to attack.   
Raziel swung his sword in a sideways fashion, slitting the knight's throat. Blood spilled down the knight's armor and onto the ground, followed by the knight's lifeless form. Raziel quickly consumed the souls of the fallen knights, regenerating his wounds and exertion from battle. With his enemies decimated, he turned his attention to the other ongoing fight.  
When Stephin had ordered his subordinates to attack Raziel, Jenise took the moment of diversion to attack her opponent. She nearly delivered a crippling blow, but Stephin saw the attack at the last moment. With greater than expected speed, he blocked the blow at the last moment. Swiping his free hand from left to right, he backhanded Jenise across her face in a degrading manner, sending her flying across the corridor. Her helmet was knocked from her head, rolling several meters until it crashed into the far wall  
Jenise was knocked down to her knees, her head spinning from the force of the blow. She clenched her teeth as she tried to get her bearings straight. She slowly rose to her feet, glaring at Stephin with rage at the insult. She raised her sword again, preparing another attack. Stephin interrupted her with an attack of his own. He sliced at her abdomen.   
Jenise backed up quickly, but could not completely avoid the blow. The tip of the priest's sword had connected with the priestess. The strength of the sword easily ripped through Jenise's old armor, tore through the cotton below and made contact with her skin. A flare of pain spread across Jenise's midriff. However, she knew that the blow was only a flesh wound.  
Jenise recomposed herself, crouching defensively. Once again, the warriors were in a temporary stalemate, circling each other, waiting for the other to strike. Jenise intently studied Stephin. She could feel his eyes doing the same. Slowly, the distance between the two shrank and the two combatants raised their weapons. The two swords crashed together, sending a few stray sparks into the air.  
As the weapons collided, Jenise grabbed Stephin's right wrist with her left hand. Almost instantly, the priest copied the priestess's move, grabbing her right wrist as well. A match of strength ensued. They glared into each other's eyes, teeth clenched as each fighter tried to out strength the other. It was evenly matched for what seemed like several long moments.  
Realizing Jenise was not going to back down, Stephin grinned maliciously. Doubt flashed across the priestess's mind, wondering what her enemy was plotting. To her horror, Jenise watched as Stephin's left hand began to glow with glyph energy. As the energy rose within his hand, so did his strength. Clamping down harder, Jenise could feel his grip tightening as the circulation to her right hand was cut off. Her hand quickly going numb, she refused to release her sword. Doing so would leave her helpless.  
Stephin could feel Jenise's strength begin to falter. But still she would not back down. He had to admire her for her determination, but at the same time, pity her for her foolishness. The priest continued to tighten his grip. Jenise gritted her teeth, trying to fight the pain. Both could feel the stressing of the bones in Jenise's wrist and forearm. Stephin sadistically clenched down the rest of the way on Jenise's arm. He took great pleasure at the sound and feel of bones snapping.  
A small whimper of pain escaped Jenise's lips as her arm was mangled. Unable to hold her sword any longer, it crashed to the ground. The sound of metal hitting stone reverberated in the empty corridor. Jenise, wracked with pain, absent mindedly released her grip on Stephin's weapon arm.   
The priest took immediate advantage of the situation. As he released the priestess's broken limb, he brought the back of his right hand across her face. Jenise once again fell to the ground. This time, she did not get back up. She remained on her knees; head down, cradling her injured arm. Stephin took this time to gloat his victory over her.  
"My dear little, priestess. Look how weak you are. I still do not see why my Lord ever favored you like his personal little pet. He should never have wasted his time with you, traitor," he mocked her. Jenise remained silent. Her head still downcast, she did not move. The only sound from her was that of heavy panting.  
"You are completely helpless. Not even your alliance with that demon will spare you now. My highly trained knights will soon defeat him," Stephin took a moment to point out Raziel's disadvantaged combat. The knights were on either side of him readying an attack. "If you beg me of it, I shall end your suffering quickly, rather than let you live out your agony. Beg me like your cowardice mentor Zechariah begged me before I took his life!"  
Jenise's head snapped up at the last taunt. Zechariah! He was the only other person from her village that Jenise ever cared for other than her father. He had taken her in and raised her when no one else would. He had taught her everything he knew about fighting in combat. He had been tough on her, but she could tell he cared for her like she was his own daughter.   
Zechariah had supported Jenise entirely, though deep down inside he hoped she would reconsider her desire for revenge. His heart had been broken the day the Sarafan recruited her. But at the same time, his heart swelled with pride, as he watched her leave with the Sarafan. Jenise had surprised him with her determination. She had grown into quite the fighter, and under Sarafan training, she would become even greater.  
"Zechariah was not a coward! And he would never beg for death, especially from you," her words were laced with venom. She slowly rose to her feet, the pain in her right arm ebbed as her anger rose. She glared daggers of death at Stephin.  
"So you still have some fight left in you!" sneered the priest, slowly pacing towards his prey. He lifted his sword in the air, intent on delivering the final blow. As his sword came down, a voice from his left interrupted him.  
"Jenise! You're injured! Let me finish this fight for you!" came Raziel's voice. He had just finished his battle and had already had enough time to evaluate Jenise's dire situation.  
The interruption was enough to throw Stephin's swing off balance, as his head had turned to his left at the sound of Raziel's voice. Jenise quickly ducked below the blow that would have surely taken her head had her opponent not been distracted. Stephin's head spun around at Jenise's sudden movement. He watched helplessly as she dodged around his right side. Rolling once, she scooped up her discarded sword with her left hand before rising back to her feet.  
She had some training with her left hand, but it still was much weaker than her right would have been under normal circumstances. Unfortunately, she had no choice. However, with her extreme rage, this didn't even register to her. The only thought on her mind was to kill the murderer of her caretaker.  
"Jenise! Stop! You're going to get yourself killed!" Raziel tried warning her, but his words fell on deaf ears. Jenise began to concentrate on her final attack. Raziel could feel her energy rising. He could sense her lust for blood. It was overwhelming his senses. Raziel studied Jenise, looking into her face. He was shocked to see the blank look that had planted itself there and the expressionless gaze in her eyes, like she was in a trance. It was the same look she had on her face when she had nearly attacked him in the dead forest beyond her village.  
Stephin had turned to face Jenise as she stood in place. Her eyes never wavered from him. The sight of her standing stoically like she was, her sword held up in her left hand, was an amusing sight to him. And he let it be known.  
"So the priestess thinks she still has a fighting chance? Against a superior officer? Oh, how I wish I could record this moment! I will take great pleasure in killing you," he mused. Jenise's gaze didn't falter. However, her energy continued growing at an exponential rate.  
As Stephin took a step towards Jenise, her energy came to a pinnacle. She suddenly snapped from her stoic stare down and charged the priest with a war cry. She ran at him with her sword raised high in the air over her head. Stephin stopped in his tracks, shocked by Jenise's sudden attack. Raziel watched dumbfounded.  
As Jenise came within striking distance, she swung her sword down at Stephin. As she did so, her aura became visible. She was engulfed in a transparent crimson energy. Stephin barely had enough time to bring his sword up to block. However, Jenise's attack did not end there. After the weapons had connected, Jenise pulled back her sword and thrust it at Stephin, piercing his armor. The end of the sword punctured his left side. Stephin hissed in pain.  
Before the priest could recover, Jenise pulled the sword from Stephin's side and swung it downward, slicing across both the priest's thighs. Stephin staggered back a few paces. This opened him up for another attack. Jenise brought the sword over her head again and swung it downwards. The end of her sword sliced across Stephin's torso. Luckily for him, his armor protected him.  
Because the last blow had failed to deliver damage, Stephin was given a window of a second to regain the advantage. As Jenise prepared another strike, Stephin raised his left hand, blocking the blow with his gauntlet. With Jenise's weapon stopped and her right hand injured, Stephin was given the opportunity for a devastating blow. And he took advantage of it.  
Pulling his sword back, he thrust it into Jenise's torso, directly in the middle of her midriff. As the blow was delivered, the aura that had once surrounded Jenise immediately subsided. Horrified, she looked down at the sword, still imbedded in her stomach. She looked up with shock filled eyes at Stephin.   
The priest's face was laced with immense pleasure. Sadistically, he turned his sword within her, so that the blade was now vertical rather than horizontal, and pulled the sword upwards, slicing up her body. Only the disgusting sound of ripping flesh filled the air. With a jerk, Stephin pulled his weapon from Jenise's body. With nothing holding the priestess up, she slumped to the ground. Her blood immediately began to pool around her.  
Raziel could only stare in horror. The almost forgotten guardsman stood silent, jaw gaping at his superior's brutality. The silence was interrupted by Stephin's savage laughing. 


	17. Interlude Four: Evil Alliance

Chapter Seventeen: Interlude Four  
  
Kain ended his vision into his past. He was satisfied that he had in fact killed Moebius all those years ago. But why had he made his presence in this era? What did he plan on accomplishing? How was he going to manipulate time once again to fit his interests? There was only one solution. Kain would have to go back to the time when the Sarafan Lord made his first appearance in Nosgoth.  
Looking into the past would give Kain an idea as to history's events. However, he would get the full scale of the picture if he were to witness history first hand. One hundred sixty years back should be sufficient. The existence of the Sarafan Lord had fallen on Kain's ears about a decade before his defeat at the Lord's hands. That is, if his memories were correct. Before Kain set about activating the Chronoplast, he used his dark gift of whisper to inform Vorador of his departure.  
"Vorador, can you hear me?" Kain asked telepathically, unsure if the whisper gift was effective from deep underground.  
"Who is this" came the reply from Vorador in Kain's mind.  
"Only a few hours have passed, and you have already forgotten me?" Kain mused.  
"Ah yes. The mysterious vampire. Forgive me for my ignorance, but you left without properly introducing yourself. I should like to know the names of my allies. I would see fit to spread good word of you, your name would be known far and wide. Provided you accomplish whatever it is you have promised to aid me with, that is."  
"Patience, my friend. My name is of no importance. But I do have something to tell you," informed Kain.  
"Ah, any news that may be of assistance?"  
"Not as of yet. But that is why I am communicating with you now. I am inside the lair of the Oracle. As you know, it is actually Moebius's Chronoplast chamber. I am about to travel into the past to unlock the secret of the Sarafan Lord's appearance," the vampire lord told his predecessor.  
"Are you sure that is wise? If you directly confront the Sarafan Lord in the past, how would I be able to send you assistance should you require it?" inquired Vorador.  
"You need not worry about me. I am far stronger than you may think. I have evolved a few times during my time as a vampire. As far as the Sarafan Lord is concerned, I will not confront him, let alone alert him to my presence. My mission is observation only. Once I discover how the Sarafan Lord arrived in Nosgoth, then I will return," Kain assured.  
"Very well. I wish you luck with your investigation. And do be careful," Vorador pleaded before the telepathic connection was severed.  
Having informed Vorador of his plan, Kain began setting the dials within the Chronoplast. Slowly, the chamber began to activate, humming to life. The mechanisms hanging from the ceiling began to rotate, gaining speed as it continued to activate. With the streaming device fully charged, Kain jumped to the third level of the chamber. He walked calmly over to the portal, which would lead him to the desired destination. Without hesitation, Kain stepped into the portal.  
The world around Kain blurred for a moment. His stomach fluttered as he experienced a floating sensation. The feeling of distortion surrounded him, a feeling he was now all too familiar with. Slowly, everything around him began to refocus. The pull of gravity began to take effect once again.   
Everything came to a sudden stop. As Kain's vision stilled, he looked around the chamber, noticing that everything remained the same as before. He slowly began exiting the room. As his hearing returned, he was made aware of two voices talking to each other. Kain strained to make out the words, but they were still muffled.  
Kain crept towards where the voices originated, being the long tunnel that served as the only exit from the chamber to the world above. As Kain neared the corridor, his hearing returned. He concealed himself behind a column in the tunnel, and listened.  
"...brought you from the past. I have studied your efforts of eradicating the vampire scourge during Nosgoth's early history. Though your kind did not eliminate all the vampires, your accomplishments were far greater than our efforts." Kain recognized this voice to be that of Moebius.  
"Get to the point, sorcerer. Why have you brought me here?" demanded the second irritably.  
"My apologies," Moebius humbly replied. "You see, the vampires have begun to overrun this world once again. Looking into the past, I have seen your noble deeds. I have seen how your kind fought valiantly against vampires. I have also seen the downfall of your kind. I prevented you from sharing the same fate as your comrades, pulling you into this era with my power over time.  
"All I am offering is a chance at revenge. Though the vampires you fought have been gone for centuries, you can extract your revenge on today's vampires, the children of the ancients. I wish to free Nosgoth of the curse of the vampire scourge. Unfortunately, I cannot do so alone. If we work together, we can accomplish our common goal."  
There was a long moment of silence as the second person contemplated the proposal. Finally, the second voice spoke once again. "I shall take you up on your offer. However, I shall need to amass an army. I also require a secure location with which to put my plan together."  
"I have the perfect guise for which to win the loyal support of the people," Moebius suggested. "After the vampires defeated your people and cast them from this world, the humans rose up against the vampires. An army was created to destroy the demons.   
"The nobles of Nosgoth created this army. Six of the noblemen devoted their lives to this cause and became the warrior priests who commanded the troops. They called themselves the Sarafan. The Sarafan priests were highly respected. Their memories are still honored to this day."  
"Then I shall use this to my advantage. I shall rebuild the Sarafan army. Once created, I shall have revenge on the vampires and free my people from their eternal imprisonment," the voice sniggered.  
"It is an excellent plan my lord. My Sarafan Lord." 


	18. Brink of Death

Chapter Eighteen  
  
Raziel could only stare in horror. The Sarafan Priest Stephin had cruelly impaled Jenise with his sword, but didn't stop until he had sliced her up the middle. Jenise now helplessly lay bleeding to death on the ground at Stephin's feet. The priest laughed like a savage brute completely devoid of any human compassion. The guardsman numbly stood by and watched, too afraid to move.  
"I told you, you would never win this fight Jenise," Stephin taunted. Jenise managed to find enough strength to give him a silent, hate-filled glare. "But now I tire of your antics. I'm going to end this once and for all. You should feel honored priestess. For I shall finish you off using the ability you couldn't even come close to attaining."  
Jenise said nothing. She simply waited for death's end. She had experienced it once before. Death no longer frightened her. In her agony, she actually welcomed the release from her pain. She watched as Stephin began to gather energy, using his glyph manipulation technique. His body began to glow with a yellow-orange aura surrounding him. The priest raised his sword high above his head preparing what would definitely be the final blow.  
Raziel watched as Jenise's second demise was slowly unfolding. Stephin was less than seconds away from delivering his attack. Raziel did the only thing he could think of. As Stephin brought the blade down, Raziel raced to intercept the weapon. The reaver of souls leapt between Stephin and Jenise. Looking up at the descending sword, he instinctively brought his arms up in defense. Jenise lay motionless on the ground behind him. He only hoped his efforts would not be in vain.  
Raziel had entered the blade's path before Stephin could change the course of his swing. The blade connected with Raziel, slicing through his right forearm and right shoulder. The strength of the blow instantly weakened Raziel completely, forcing him into his spectral form. However, Raziel's interference was successful in stopping the attack from reaching Jenise. The reaver of souls quickly regained his composure from the sudden thrust from the physical realm. After devouring a few wandering souls, he set out to find a conduit for which to remanifest himself with.  
Stephin could not stop his attack when Raziel placed himself in front of the blade. The sword lodged itself into the demon's arm and shoulder, slicing through him. Stephin blinked in surprise at Raziel. The attack should have killed him. But before Stephin could take a moment to assess the situation, the demon before him began to fade from sight, as if his physical essence was dissolving before his eyes. The sword Raziel had been holding fell to the ground.  
His blade no longer bound by Raziel's body, Stephin stood straight, pulling back his sword. The priest looked down at Jenise, who had been spared by the blow. Her face was covered by a sorrowful look. A smirk slowly spread across Stephin's face, believing he had destroyed Raziel.  
"How foolish of your demon friend to think that he could save you," he sniggered. "He sacrificed himself thinking he could make a difference. And now you shall share his fate."  
Jenise responded with a small grin. A soft chuckle passed her lips.  
"What is so amusing, wench?" demanded the priest.  
"You would...like to think that...wouldn't you?" she inquired, struggling to draw in breath between her words. "You...have no idea...do you?"  
Stephin noticed that Jenise was no longer looking at him. Confused, he followed her gaze, turning around to see behind him. What he saw scared the hell out of him. It was Raziel! He had somehow survived the attack! The reaver of souls had remanifested behind Stephin without him knowing. Raziel had been preparing an attack while the priest's attention was on Jenise. Stephin found Raziel in a crouching position, aiming the wraith blade at him.  
"And what do you plan on doing with that?" Stephin challenged Raziel.  
Raziel responded by releasing a sphere of energy at Stephin. The priest was forced backwards several feet. Fortunately, he didn't fall on Jenise. Rather, the blow forced him back, over Jenise's feet. Stephin did not fall, but he staggered to regain his balance. He looked back up at Raziel once he steadied himself, glaring at his attacker.  
Stephin was about to take a step towards Raziel, when the reaver of souls released a second projectile at his opponent. Again, the priest was knocked backwards. The second blow had weakened the priest, sending him down on one knee, but he quickly regained his composure, rising back up to both feet.  
"I'm going to kill you," Stephin fumed with rage at Raziel. The priest attempted to charge, but was knocked back by a third attack after only a few steps. Stephin fell backwards several feet, falling onto his back. Still he was able to get back up. Only this time, Raziel could tell that the priest's energy was failing him. The yellow-orange aura that had surrounded him had vanished with the third blow. Stephin gritted his teeth with determination. His anger did not allow him to give up.  
Raziel shot a forth and final energy sphere at Stephin. The priest, too weak to avoid the attack, took a direct hit in the chest. He was sent backwards again, this time crashing into the wall behind him. His body colliding into the wall, Stephin was knocked unconscious. His prone body slumped to the ground. Raziel stood ready for another attack, waiting to see if the priest would rise again. After a few moments, Raziel was satisfied that he had subdued the enemy. He rose from his crouching position and dismissed most of the enormous amount of energy he had summoned into the wraith blade.  
Raziel rushed over to Jenise's side. As he did so, he did not notice the guardsman sneak over to Stephin. The guardsman lifted the priest, supporting Stephin's left arm over his shoulders and quickly escaped through the gate leading deeper into the stronghold. Raziel looked over Jenise, assessing her wounds. Her torso was what concerned him the most. The wound was a few inches deep and about six or seven inches long. Raziel was relieved when he realized that Jenise's breastplate had prevented Stephin's sword from invading her chest cavity. The result would have most likely caused her death by now.  
"Jenise, are you okay?" Raziel asked her. It was a stupid question to ask, he knew, but he needed some kind of response from her to indicate she was still alive. The priestess opened her eyes, barely able to focus them on her ally.  
"Raziel? You need...to go...before...they come back," she coughed out the words, blood dripping from the corners of her mouth. "I'll...catch up...after...I rest." Her eyes began to roll up in the back of her head as she spoke.  
"No Jenise. You need to stay awake," Raziel reasoned, as he cradled her head in an upward position, attempting to keep her awake. He knew that if she were to pass out, she would most likely die.  
"No. I need...to rest. I'll...be...okay."  
Raziel was about to argue with her when he was interrupted by the sound of the gate opening again. He looked over his shoulder, prepared to defend Jenise against any warrior who dared emerge from the gateway. He was surprised to see a single sorceress enter the corridor. She hurriedly ran over to the priestess's side, seeming to take no notice of Raziel.  
"Jenise? Jenise! It's really you!" she squealed. Raziel watched her suspiciously, waiting for her to take any action that would warrant her death. He studied her carefully. She wore minimal armor, for a sorceress's attacks were long range and usually did not close combat. Her dusty blonde hair was cut short, only a couple inches long. She had a tattoo etched below her left eye, a rune associated with sorcery. She seemed to be rather young, perhaps only a few years younger than Jenise. The priestess's eyes cracked open.  
"Malia? Is...is that you?" Jenise stared at the concerned female face above her.  
"Yes, it's me! My God, you look horrible! High Priest Stephin did a number on you! That guard came in dragging him mumbling something about a priestess and a demon and I had to come see if it was you! Everyone said you had died a year ago, but I didn't believe them! Where have you been all this time! I was so worried!" the teenage sorceress continuously jabbered like a typical...well, teenager.  
"Excuse me, er...Malia?" Raziel interrupted the girl's rambling.  
"Uh, yes?"  
"If you don't mind, I think the reunion can wait. Jenise is in critical condition and is in of need of medical attention."  
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I guess I got carried away!" apologized the sorceress.  
"Con...gradu...lations...Malia," Jenise sputtered. Malia's attention turned back towards the priestess with a questioning look on her face. "You finally...mastered...sorcery." The priestess grinned as best she could under the circumstances. Jenise had noticed the shaven hair of a sorceress and the rune tattooed on Malia's face. Raziel sighed with frustration.  
"Can we please get her somewhere where her wounds can be treated?" he questioned irritably. Malia didn't answer vocally, but her attitude immediately became serious. She quickly evaluated Jenise's wounds, giving most attention to her torso. Malia tore away the shreds of chain mail and cotton that hung off Jenise's body so she could get a better look.  
"This is serious," Malia replied dejectedly, shaking her head slowly. "There's only one way she can be saved..."  
Raziel waited patiently for Malia to explain herself. When she didn't elaborate, he felt the urge to choke the solution out of her. Instead, his curiosity got the better of him as Malia began to unwrap the cloth to her robe from around her right arm. With her skin exposed, she placed her arm in front of Jenise's face, wrist turned towards the priestess.  
"Here," Malia gently urged.  
"No...I can't...I'm not...like that," refused the stubborn priestess. Raziel watched with confusion.  
"You must, Jenise. You are too weak. You'll die if you don't. And I'm not going to let you die. So if I have to, I will force you to. And in your current condition, you can't stop me," Malia reasoned, but still Jenise did nothing. "Fine then, be that way," Malia replied with annoyance.  
The sorceress withdrew her hand and with her left removed a small dagger from a sheath strapped to her left ankle. She took the blade to her left wrist and made a small incision. The cut was deep enough for a good flow of blood, but not too much that it cut through the arteries. The sorceress then replaced her wrist above the priestess, causing her blood to drip onto Jenise's lips. Raziel's eyes widened at what he witnessed next.  
A few drops of blood fell onto Jenise's lips. The priestess seemed to struggle to resist the once buried instinct. No longer able to resist the growing amount of blood on her lips, Jenise licked away the foreign substance. Noticing Jenise had given in, Malia lowered her wrist to Jenise's lips. To Raziel's surprise, Jenise willingly, no eagerly, accepted the offer. The priestess began to drink the sorceress's blood.   
As Raziel watched, he noticed a difference between the way Jenise fed and the way the vampires he knew fed, including himself. From first hand experience, Raziel knew vampire feedings to be more ravenous. Sure, most feedings were based on need, but the vampires still took pleasure in it. But Jenise was different. She drank slowly, seeming to try to control herself. And the look in her eyes...was regretful.  
While Jenise fed, her wounds slowly began to heal. Raziel noticed the blood within the wound in her torso begin to recede. He watched the torn organs within her body began to meld until the skin, sealing back together, interrupted his view. With some of her strength renewed, Jenise raised her arms up and grabbed onto Malia's arm.   
When Raziel expected Jenise's blood lust to get the better of her, she suddenly pulled Malia's arm away. The sorceress wrapped her arm once again in the cloth of her robes. She intently looked down at the priestess, confirming that she would be fine. Raziel stared at Jenise in shock. Realization suddenly hit him. Jenise just drank Malia's blood! Before he could demand answers from the priestess, Jenise's eyes slumped closed once again, this time slumber taking her.  
"We must take her someplace safe so she can rest," Malia instructed Raziel. "Follow me."  
Malia rose to her feet. Raziel followed suit, holding Jenise beneath the small of her back and behind her knees. Malia crept past the iron gate and further down the corridor to what seemed like a dead end. When she reached the end, she ran her hand across the stone, until she found the spot she was searching for. Malia pushed in on the stone, which turned out to be a small push plate in a large slab of granite. As she did so, the slab of granite receded into the wall and then slid to the left.  
"Come, this way," she called to Raziel. He followed Malia into the secret passage. As the door slid back into place, Malia formed a small ball of fire in the palm of her hand for which to see with.  
"This passage leads straight to the sorceress's chambers," informed Malia. "I will take you to my bedchamber, where Jenise can rest until her strength is restored."  
They walked carefully through the dark corridor until they came to the end of the passage. Malia pulled a lever, causing the passage to open. The ball of fire diminished within Malia's palm as she entered the larger corridor of the sorcery wing. She scanned the area quickly before nodding the 'all clear' to Raziel. The trio quickly strode down the corridor. Malia led Raziel to the third doorway on the right and entered the room.  
Raziel eyed the small chamber. The only furnishings were a bed, a bookshelf with various books on sorcery, a wooden table with a candle at its center, two wooden chairs, and a cabinet. The reaver of souls placed the priestess on the bed.  
"Unfortunately, I cannot stay," Malia broke the silence, as she removed Jenise's shield and armor for her comfort. She placed the items on the table. "I was due for training when I heard the news of your arrival. You can stay here. No one will bother coming in my bedchamber. I won't be back until later this evening. When I return, I will help you get out of the stronghold."  
Raziel nodded as Malia exited her bedchamber. Raziel took a seat at the table where he could keep an eye on Jenise. As soon as she woke, he was hell bent on getting the truth from her. 


	19. Confession: Part One

Chapter Nineteen  
  
The hours dragged on. Raziel began to wonder if Jenise would ever wake up. He passed some of the time thumbing through a few of Malia's sorcery books, but found most of them of little interest. Spells and magic were of no use to a being such as he. Discarding the sorcery books, the reaver of souls skimmed through a book on the history of Nosgoth.   
The history recorded in this particular book did not date back very far. The recorded events began shortly before the time of the original Sarafan. The Sarafan that he once was a part of. He skipped through the pages, occasionally pausing to read a few passages before continuing on. When disinterest in this book overcame Raziel, he placed it too on the pile of rummaged-through books.  
Raziel glanced over at Jenise and sighed. She still showed no sign that she was going to rise. He could tell that dusk was approaching based on the diminishing light through the high window within the room. Not knowing when Malia would return, Raziel decided to light the candles set on the middle of the table. Upon doing so, his attention was drawn to Jenise's shield. He took it up in his hands and began to study it. He had never really paid much attention to its detail, besides its deteriorated state.  
Until now, Raziel wondered why Jenise insisted on holding onto the shield. If he had a rusted shield, he would just replace it with a much sturdier one. But looking past its flaws, he could tell that this was once a magnificent shield.   
The shield had been crafted of an ancient metal no longer forged to this day. The bottom had a spaded point, which rose smoothly and almost uninterrupted to the top. A small inverted point was crafted into each side. The top had two rounded off points on each side before curving slightly downward in the middle.  
Raziel gazed at the design on the front of the shield. From near the top corners, a single line was drawn down to the point at the bottom of the shield. In its very center was a dark oval shape, elongated vertically, only the top and bottom of this oval were pointed, looking like this: (). Outside the drawn lines, there was etched a single rune on each side. They were very similar in appearance, but Raziel knew they were different words. What those words were, he did not know. The bulk of the shield was a crimson red color. The edges and designs had been colored a darker shade of red, almost black.  
Flipping over the shield and looking at its back, Raziel noticed the peculiar device one would have to utilize in order to wield the shield. Welded to the shield's backside was almost an entire arm gauntlet. The user would have to put their entire forearm within the brace. It was definitely a shield for those using right-handed weapons. The gauntlet had two holes on the right end. One was larger and at the very end of the brace. The second was much smaller and at the top near the end, obviously meant for the thumb.  
The brace and the backside of the shield had been meticulously crafted as much as the front had been. The metal was smooth to the touch in the undamaged areas. The arm brace was strangely devoid of any damage. Turning the shield in the candle light for a better view, Raziel noticed more of the same strange old runes etched onto the gauntlet. The reaver of souls stared at the symbols, knowing they seemed familiar to him.  
'Of course,' he realized as it finally clicked. 'I've seen runes like these on the murals of the ancient vampires. This must be their now dead language!' Before Raziel could think of a means to deciphering the inscription, Jenise began to stir from sleep. She slowly rose to a sitting position, holding her head in her right hand.  
"It's about time," Raziel replied to the priestess as he set the shield down on the table. Jenise looked up at the former vampire.  
"How long was I out?"  
"Long enough for the sun to set. A strange coincidence, don't you think?" Raziel snidely replied, earning a perplexed look from Jenise. He elaborated, "You lied to me, Jenise. When were you going to tell me the truth...that you're a vampire."  
Jenise looked at him with shock. Recent memories began to flood her mind. She drank Malia's blood!  
"Where's Malia?" she timidly inquired, voice laced with fear. "I didn't...didn't...kill her, did I?"  
"No. The sorceress is fine. You barely drank more than a pint of her blood. Now back to the subject at hand. Why did you lie to me? Why didn't you tell me you're a vampire?" Raziel demanded, his voice raising. Jenise returned a hateful glare.  
"Do NOT call me a vampire!" she yelled, rising to her feet.  
"Why not? The title seems fitting, blood sucker."  
"I am NOT a vampire!" she persisted. "Can a vampire survive daylight? Or swim in water? No they cannot!"  
"In my day, some can," Raziel replied matter-of-factly.  
"Well, here they can't," rebutted Jenise, her voice calming a bit.  
"If you're not a vampire, then what the hell are you?"  
"I don't know what I am," the priestess answered full of exasperation. Raziel could tell that she was trying to fight off the onslaught of pent-up emotion threatening to release itself. He remained quiet, not wanting to push her over the brink to an emotional break down. His sensitive ears could never tolerate a woman's crying voice.  
"It seems everyone, except me, knows who, or what, I am. And no one has filled me in on their secret. Instead, they've kept me in the dark, and used me for their own benefits. Or at least tried to, in some cases," she explained. "The truth is Raziel, I didn't say anything about my vampiric traits, because I don't know if I am a vampire, or if I'm human. So, to avoid questions, I just bent the truth a little."  
The priestess's apology complete, she sat on the edge of the bed in defeat. Her head shamefully hung downcast at the ground. She realized that her boots were no longer on her, and to add to her guilt, she was now aware of her exposed hideousness. Her vision was interrupted by the appearance of a second pair of feet and the feeling of a gently placed hand on her shoulder.  
"I understand how you feel Jenise," came the soothing voice of Raziel. "I too have suffered the fate of being someone's unenlightened pawn. It's why I seek the truth now, to decide my own fate."  
Jenise lifted her head and looked up to Raziel. A small smile had formed on her lips, indicating that she would be all right. He withdrew his hand and reclaimed his seat at the table a few meters away.   
"I don't normally drink blood, you know," Jenise stated out loud, as if to reassure Raziel that she would not be attacking him or anyone out of need to feed. Raziel simply glanced at her and gave her a small nod. "I only do it when I'm badly injured."  
Jenise looked back down at her feet. She knew her they were one of her most distinguishable of vampire traits. That was why she hated them so much, why she took painstaking methods to hide them.   
It was her feet that blew her secret in to Malia. It was shortly after the then fourteen-year-old girl had come to train at the stronghold. Malia was already a promising student. She had entered the stronghold with basic mage skills already mastered. However, she was a bit flighty. Malia had only been in the keep for a few days, and already she had begun to wander outside the sorcerer's wing.  
The sounds of swords colliding and men cheering led Malia to the corridors where knights and priests trained for battle. She snuck into the training hall unnoticed and watched the events with awe. There were several pairings of men sparring. More men in groups off to the side were cheering their comrades from a safe distance away.  
Curiosity was getting the better of Malia. She wanted a better view. She snuck along the wall, hiding behind a rack of weapons. She paused there for a moment, but decided she still did not have the view she wanted. Spotting a support column much closer to the action, Malia decided to relocate again. But as she crept out from behind the weapons rack, she bumped a long pike.  
Frozen with the fear that she would be discovered (and ultimately punished), all Malia could do was clench her eyes tight as she waited for the impending sound of the pike crashing onto the ground. After several seconds, the crash never came. Malia opened one eye, then the second, as she realized she had been caught. In front of her, a warrior had caught the pike before it had hit the ground and was replacing it on the mantle.  
"You should not be here," came the warrior's voice from below a helmet. Malia was thrown speechless at the tone and pitch of the voice. It was stern but not harsh, but the voice was definitely feminine. The warrior removed the helmet. Sure enough, it was a young woman, much to Malia's relief.  
"You must be in the sorcery guild," the warrior noted after examining Malia, who nodded in response. "You should know that young sorcerers such as yourself should not be here. It's too dangerous."  
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."  
"It's okay. You're forgiven this time. But don't come sneaking off down here without permission again. I might not be the one to find you next time."  
"Okay."   
"What's your name?"  
"Malia."  
"Come Malia. I'll take you back to your wing," instructed the older female. They quietly walked down the corridors of the stronghold. Malia was worried at first that the older girl would not know where to take her, as the trip back seemed to be taking longer than she remembered taking to get to the warriors guild. She was relieved when her surroundings became familiar with the entrance to the sorcery guild.  
"Now you stay here where you belong. And don't go wandering off without your superior's permission," the female warrior instructed. Malia nodded in return as the older girl turned to leave.  
"Wait! You didn't tell me your name!"  
The warrior stopped and glanced over her shoulder. "Priestess Jenise, fifth rank," she simply stated before she departed.  
That day was over three years ago. Well, over four now, if Jenise counted the year she had been dead. Since that day, Jenise's life was a bit brighter. Malia always brought a ray of sunshine into her life every time she visited the sorcerer's guild. At first, Jenise would have to visit Malia at her guild. But after six months or so, Malia had been familiarized with the stronghold and the laws therein, so she was no longer restricted to her guild.   
Malia became like a little sister to Jenise. And just as troublesome as one might be. Malia looked up to Jenise, being the only female in the warrior's guild, and from such a young age as well. At the time they had met, Jenise was only seventeen. She had just ranked up from a knight to a priestess, albeit the lowest ranking of that level. But she was proud of herself nonetheless. But she never openly displayed pride, only determination to be better. Her determination had paid off. By the time she began tracking Vorador down, she had become a priestess of the first rank.  
Jenise was very supportive of Malia. She encouraged her to train hard and to study with the best. Jenise knew that it was only a matter of time before Malia became a full-fledged sorceress. When Jenise had seen Malia for the first time since her resurrection, and saw the mark of sorcery on her face, her heart filled with pride. At seventeen, Malia had achieved one of the highest titles in her guild as Jenise had done four years ago.  
Jenise's thoughts were brought back to the present as the view of her feet came back into focus. She glanced back over at Raziel's feet. They were almost identical, only Raziel's were tinted blue like the rest of his body and his were much larger than hers were. 'Wait a minute,' Jenise thought, 'if my feet are a vampiric characteristic, then why does he have the same trait?' Her eyes snapped up to Raziel's face questioningly.  
"What?" Raziel simply asked after Jenise's stare did not falter.  
"You know, Raziel. I never noticed this before, but you have very peculiar feet," she began her interrogation, making Raziel shift under her articulate observations. "I have seen feet like yours only on very few other souls. You have the same feet a powerful vampire would have. And I know because I share the same characteristic as you."  
Jenise lifted a cloved foot into the candlelight, so that Raziel could see the proof himself. After a moment or two, she placed her foot back on the ground.  
"So tell me Raziel, why is it that you have vampiric traits such as I? Is there something you're not telling me?"  
Raziel was about to explain, when the door to Malia's bedchamber swung open. The two occupants held their breath momentarily, afraid of having been discovered, when Malia's candlelit face appeared from the dark void of the corridor outside.  
"Oh, good! Jenise, you're awake! The guards are in the process of changing shifts right now. Get your armor together because now is the perfect time to get you guys out of here unnoticed." 


	20. Confession: Part Two

Chapter Twenty  
  
As Jenise replaced her armor and shield, Raziel asked Malia, "Do you think you can take us to Moebius?"  
Before Malia could answer, Jenise filled the reaver of souls in on the information she had attained. "Moebius has locked himself up in his chambers. He retreated there shortly after the Sarafan Lord left for Meridian." Then she turned to Malia, "Do you think you could take us to his chambers?"  
"I suppose so. It's only a corridor down from the sorcery guild. But I don't know that it'll do you any good. No one's been able to even get Moebius to utter a word since he locked himself up," Malia replied.  
The trio quickly exited the main sorcery corridor and into one of the main corridors of the stronghold. Avoiding guards and staying in the shadow, they arrived outside Moebius's chamber without incident. Raziel immediately recognized the doorway as the entrance to the time streaming chamber within the stronghold.   
He gazed upward at the dormant crystal embedded in the stone above the doorway. Raziel called forth the element of light within the wraith blade. He took aim at the crystal and released a projectile at it. Nothing happened. He released a second, and still nothing.  
"It seems that it has been deactivated somehow," Raziel commented out loud to himself. "Moebius is probably no longer in there."  
"But what do you mean? He hasn't left!" Malia disagreed.  
"Moebius is the guardian of time. And thus, he has the ability to travel through time," he explained to the teen.  
"So now what do we do?" asked the sorceress.  
"We aren't going to do anything," Jenise retorted. "You are going to stay here."  
"Why do I have to stay here? Why can't I come with you?" the child-like side of Malia exposed itself.  
"It's too dangerous," replied Raziel before Jenise could give her argument. "You are not fully trained as of yet. There are bloodthirsty vampires out there that would be more than willing to feed upon a Sarafan sorceress."  
"But I'll be with you. What vampire is going to dare try to kill me when I'm with you? Besides, Jenise, you allied yourself with Vorador, remember? He's the lord of the vampires. They wouldn't attack an ally!" she pouted.  
"Even if that were true, a Sarafan knight would kill you if they suspected you were helping us. Or they could capture you and use you as bait for which to trap us. It is much safer for you to remain here, and you'll be much more important to us if you stay. You can gather information for us. It's good to have an ally behind enemy lines," Jenise insisted. Malia gave up.  
"Okay, fine. I'll stay. But as soon as I've mastered all my techniques you can bet your ass I'll come looking for you!"  
Jenise grinned at her enthusiasm. "You know Malia, if I was still a member of the Sarafan, I would have given you three demerits for your language!" she joked. Malia grinned in return.  
"Jenise, you mentioned to me before that you had sought out Vorador's assistance. You were able to ally yourself with him, correct?" asked Raziel.  
"Yes. That's correct, though not for very long. I allied myself with him only a few months before I heard the news of the Sarafan army approaching my village."  
"Does he still reside in the poison swamp?"  
"Yes, last I knew. The last place I had seen Vorador was in his mansion deep within the swamps," confirmed the priestess.  
"Malia, do you think you can escort us out of the stronghold without attracting the guards' attention?" Raziel inquired.  
"Of course! There's an underground passage that only the highest-ranking sorceresses know of. I can lead you there," the teen sorceress replied. They exited the large chamber outside of Moebius's private chamber. Malia led her friends through the stronghold. After traveling through many long corridors, and avoiding many tired guards waiting for shift's end, Malia led them to the chamber that Raziel knew all too well to be the chamber where the body of Willaim the Just lay.  
"Are you sure there is a secret tunnel here?" Jenise asked aloud. She had never been told of a passageway hidden in this room.  
"Yes, I'm sure!" assured Malia. After they passed through the gate, the sorceress ran right up to the tomb of the fallen ruler. "Push this out of the way. The tunnel is beneath the coffin."  
Raziel, though skeptical, braced himself against the marble. With a few giant heaves, he was able to push the sarcophagus out of the way. The opening was small, but wide enough to fit through. It went straight down, a ladder the only means in and out of the tunnel. After a few feet, the tunnel was engulfed in darkness and nothing else could be ascertained without a source of light.  
"Just follow the tunnel to the end. It should lead you to the other side of the lake, northwest of the entrance to the stronghold," informed Malia.  
"How are you going to replace the tomb over the tunnel?" Jenise wondered.  
"I'm not. There's a lever at the bottom of the ladder. Pull it, and it will reseal the tunnel," said the priestess. Raziel began to climb down the ladder. Once he was down far enough, Jenise began to descend after him. Malia ran over to a nearby wall and took a torch from it.  
"Here, take this," she instructed, as she handed it to Jenise. The priestess accepted the offer. "Good luck," Malia bid farewell as Jenise descended to darkness. The sorceress watched from a few feet away, watching the glow of the torch diminish as it gained depth below the surface. After a few minutes, the tomb of William the Just slid back into its original location. Just as the sarcophagus ceased moving, a voice from behind startled Malia.  
"What are you doing here, girl?" It was the voice of Stephin, having just recovered from his injuries. Malia quickly spun on her heals to face Stephin.  
"I...I couldn't sleep. So I came here. I usually come here when I need time to think," she stammered.  
"You do know that this area is off limits after dark," Stephin reprimanded the sorceress.  
"Yes. I know. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."  
"You better get back to your quarters, sorceress. We had an intrusion earlier in the day. We have not deemed the stronghold safe as of yet...especially for those who like to wander off," he eyed Malia suspiciously. She simply nodded at the dismissal and quickly departed for her bedchamber.   
When she was gone, Stephin turned his attention to William's tomb. He knew Malia had been friends with Jenise. And he suspected that the girl was not being truthful to him. After gazing at the coffin for a few moments, Stephin turned and left, dismissing the idea that Malia had provided help to Jenise and her demon friend.   
There were no eyewitnesses to give proof as to what happened to the duo after the fight. Stephin just rather assumed the demon fled with Jenise's body. What Stephin did not realize, is that if he had bothered to look more carefully at the tomb, he would have noticed the disturbed dust on the ground where the coffin had been pushed out of place.  
Jenise and Raziel quickly traveled through the dark, damp tunnel. Jenise carried her torch while Raziel used his wraith blade, enhanced with the light element. The tunnel was surprisingly not as wet as they expected, considering it was below the lake. There were a few places where water dripped from overhead, falling into small puddles of water. Still, the duo pressed on quickly, the lingering, but unspoken, fear residing in the back of their minds that the tunnel may collapse overhead.  
"You still haven't told me yet," Jenise broke the almost silent atmosphere. Raziel glanced at Jenise to his left. "Other than your name, your lost people, some of your...unique...abilities, and your claim to be the 'Reaver of Souls', I have no idea who or what you are."  
Raziel sighed. "It's a very long and complicated story."  
"I've got time."  
"I'm not sure where to begin..."  
"Just start from the beginning. Your first memory," Jenise coaxed.  
"The beginning..." Raziel mused. Where did everything begin for him? "Well, my first memory...would have to be when I awoke. I was in a tomb of some sorts, later I would discover it to be the tomb of the Sarafan. Kain had just given me the gift of vampiric un-life. I was his first-born lieutenant. Shortly after my resurrection, my five brothers, too, rose from their coffins. As fledgelings, Kain taught us the necessary skills required for a vampire to survive. Soon, we began to dominate much of Nosgoth, setting the center of our vampiric empire at the pillars of Nosgoth.  
"As our power and influence grew, my brothers and I became more independent from Kain. We each started our own clans, and claimed a section of Nosgoth for ourselves. The vampires thrived. Over the centuries, we began to evolve, but we would never undergo the next evolution before Kain. To do so, would be blasphemy. That is the mistake I made..."  
Raziel continued telling Malia his tragic story. The betrayal wrought upon him by Kain; the centuries of pain; his second resurrection as 'the Reaver of Souls'; the loss of his clan; the acquisition of the wraith blade; his vengeance upon the deformed monsters that were once his brethren; chasing Kain; traveling through time; his encounter with Janos Audron; and finally, his infiltration and murder of the Sarafan. Jenise had quietly listened, never interrupting Raziel's story.  
By the time Raziel had finished his tale, he and Jenise were nearing the pillars of Nosgoth. They had long ago emerged from the tunnels and had begun to travel the rocky route towards the poison swamp. In the night they could avoid the few Sarafan they occasionally saw. Rounding the last bend, they emerged in front of the once magnificent pillars, now beginning to decay from the result of Kain's decision.  
"...and now I am simply seeking the truth. I still seek vengeance upon Kain. But I want to be certain of the motives of those people who have tried to manipulate me for their own benefits, before I make a decision that could change the course of history...again," Raziel finished his story.  
Jenise remained quiet for several moments, letting Raziel's story sink in. Fate has, thus far, played a cruel joke on the poor soul beside her. Quietly, they crossed the stone that served as the base of the pillars. Finally, Jenise spoke, offering a bit of reassurance.  
"I'll help you find your answers, Raziel. I may find some answers of my own as well."  
Raziel glanced over at Jenise, accepting her offer. If he could smile, he would have. The priestess was finally deserting her impulsive desire for revenge. Instead, she has decided to follow Raziel's lead; learning everything they can so as to prevent themselves from being used as puppets once again.  
The duo reached the cliff ledge where the path to the swamp was located. Though too high to climb, Raziel had previously needed to shift to the spectral realm to bypass this obstacle. However, someone had conveniently left behind a ladder for which to climb.  
"The Sarafan have been here," Jenise replied, eyeing the ladder, explaining its existence there. They climbed the ladder and trekked onward. Twice they encountered a lone Sarafan guard, which Raziel easily disposed of, feeding on their souls. One had to replenish himself somehow.   
Before they knew it, they found themselves deep within the poison swamps. Fortunately, neither warrior was affected by the noxious gasses emitted from the bowels of the swamp. Leaping from rock to rock, Raziel and Jenise were able to avoid having to trudge through the thick muck. Rounding a rock face, Vorador's mansion came into view, illuminated by the lightening of the sky as dawn was quickly approaching. Finally, they had reached their destination. 


	21. Inside Vorador's Mansion

Chapter Twenty-One  
  
Vorador's mansion: the center of the vampire allegiance. It lay secluded deep within the poison swamps of Nosgoth, where no human dare to explore. This is where Raziel and Jenise currently found themselves; at the threshold of the vampire lord's retreat. Quietly, they walked up to the tall wooden doors, and with a great heave, they gained access to the foyer within. A musty odor devoid of life filled the air within, but was much more pleasant than the smell of the boggy swamp.  
Raziel and Jenise entered the main hall, Jenise a few steps in front. It was quite dark inside, with only two torches lit. Vision was minimal and it was deathly silent. The duo approached the center of the foyer, struggling to find anyone within. Raziel had summoned the light reaver, but that did not add much to the poor lighting.   
"I don't think anyone is here anymore," Jenise replied disappointedly, as she turned to Raziel. Guilt that she had uselessly led him here began to plague her.   
Suddenly, from out of the depths of darkness, a hand reached out and grabbed Jenise from behind her neck. Raziel and Jenise exchanged a momentary expression of shock, before the priestess was yanked backwards into the darkness and out of Raziel's vision. As he was about to chase after Jenise, Raziel found himself under attack by several figures shrouded in darkness.   
The reaver of souls took a defensive stance, preparing for his assailants' attacks. Carefully listening for the attackers' movements, Raziel noticed the sounds of a struggle in the background. 'Good. Jenise is managing to hold them off,' he thought. Distracted slightly, he almost didn't notice the claw aimed at his face. He grabbed the would-be attacker's arm and twisted it behind his back, forcing it upward into a painful hold. Hearing footsteps attempting to surround him, Raziel forced the hostage between himself and his allies.   
The maneuver holding off an attack for now, Raziel quickly deduced that he was dealing with vampires, and only fledgelings at that. His eyes beginning to adjust to the dim lighting, and with his acute hearing to aid him, the former vampire counted three more vampires around him other than the one he was holding prisoner. Their lack of strategy displayed their inexperience in battle. They could have easily surrounded Raziel, but fear of injuring their ally kept them grouped together at bay.  
Listening for the other conflict, Raziel could here several landed blows and grunts of pain, none of which belonged to Jenise. She had, by Raziel's best guess, three assailants, all of which Jenise was holding off. 'More fledgelings,' Raziel concluded. The sound of an unsheathing sword caught Raziel's attention, hoping that it was Jenise who had drawn the weapon and not one of the vampires. Before Raziel could discover the answer, the great hallway was illuminated, all the torches along the wall simultaneously igniting in flames.  
Raziel blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the sudden light. Indeed, he noticed, that he had a total of four vampires around him, all of which held the small, fragile characteristics of a fledgeling. Looking over his right shoulder, he confirmed Jenise's well-being. She stood in the middle of three fledgeling vampires, each attempting to rise to their feet. She was crouched defensively, with her sword withdrawn, ready to defend herself.  
"I would think kindly of you, if you were to refrain from slaying my fledgelings," came the sound of a female's voice from the far end of the foyer. Jenise and Raziel's heads snapped up in the direction of her voice. Emerging from the shadows, accompanied by a half dozen more experienced vampires, was Umah. Recognizing the vampiress, Jenise rose out of her defensive stance and sheathed her sword. Raziel followed suit by releasing his hostage, shoving him towards the other three vampires.  
"And I would think more kindly of you, dear Umah, if you were to keep better control over your fledgelings, so that they don't go attacking their allies when they arrive," Jenise replied scornfully. Raziel's head spun with Umah's spoken name, trying to remember why it sounded familiar to him. Slowly it came to him, almost as if a new memory was rekindling itself within the back of his mind, and he could hear Kain's voice:  
**Voice over**  
"After awakening from my two century slumber, the vampiress Umah was there waiting for me. She would aid me during my quest for revenge whilst I regained my lost strength. She would have been my queen, if not for her naivety and her selfish motives. For that, she died by the hands of the Sarafan."  
**End voice over**  
Raziel shook his head, ridding himself of Kain's monologue, wondering where that memory had come from. He never recalled Kain mentioning Umah before, but this memory was real, like it had always been with him. He quickly dismissed it as a side effect of Kain's meddling with time, bringing himself back to the current situation.  
"I must apologize for the actions of my fledgelings," Umah offered an apology. "We have all been on edge as of late. With Lord Vorador elsewhere, and the near encounter with the entire Sarafan army, the atmosphere has been a little...tense."  
"The Sarafan army came by this way?" Jenise wished to confirm.  
"Yes. Within a kilometer, in fact. Fortunately for the thick bog and vegetation, they turned off towards the south. Otherwise, they would have arrived right on our doorstep and we would have had to flee," replied the vampiress.  
"Where has Vorador gone?" Raziel inquired, walking up to Jenise's side. Umah eyed him carefully. She recognized his vampire characteristics, but had never laid eyes on a creature such as he before. As such, she was a little weary of his presence. She turned her attention back to Jenise.  
"He has gone to the city of Meridian. He wishes to relocate to the great city. We have allies within the city walls and our current residence has become too small for our growing numbers," explained Umah.  
"Meridian! But that's where the Sarafan Lord was heading!" Jenise interrupted.  
"Not to worry," a masculine voice interrupted. All heads snapped over to the open doorway of the mansion. There stood eight vampires. The one in the front being none other than Vorador himself.  
"My Lord, you have returned safely," Umah welcomed her master with a bow, followed suit by the rest of the vampires present.  
"Of course, I have," smirked Vorador, with a bit of cockiness. He then turned his attention to his guests. "Ah, Jenise! You live! And I was beginning to think that the rumors were true..." he trailed off, but his voice gave way a hint of already knowing the truth.  
"They weren't rumors," admitted the priestess, not noticing Vorador's knowing grin. "I was, in fact, murdered by the Sarafan Lord. My resurrection is the result of the good deed performed by my accomplice-" Jenise attempted to explain, but was cut off by Vorador.  
"Ah, yes! Raziel! It's been quite the many years since we last met. Tell me, were you able to find Janos?" Vorador inquired the former vampire. Raziel blinked in surprise, wondering how Vorador knew he had traveled to the past to meet said vampire, let alone his name. He never gave it during their previous encounter.  
"Yes. Indeed I have. Unfortunately, I had arrived just in time to witness the Sarafan murder Janos," Raziel confirmed.   
Vorador nodded, his thoughts seemed to be elsewhere. "I see. You have visited him only once then?" His voice sounded a little...disappointed.  
Raziel raised his eyebrow questioningly. "What do you mean 'only once'?"  
"Raziel, I'm afraid we cannot join forces as of yet. You see, there is much you need to learn and accomplish at this point of your travels. I probably should not be telling you this, but you have yet to travel back to the time before the Sarafan. Doing so will unlock a great many truths for you. Only after you have done this, then I will accept your aid," informed Vorador.  
"Then I shall go. And when I return, I shall end this once and for all," promised Raziel as he turned to leave. He stopped after a few steps, noticing that Jenise had not followed. "Are you not coming?" he asked of her.  
"No. My place is here. Vorador needs my assistance."  
"Jenise, my child, you must go with Raziel," Vorador instructed. "You, too, have much to learn as well."  
"But what about the Sarafan Lord? You can't relocate to Meridian! That's where the Sarafan Lord was headed!" insisted the priestess.  
"Do not fret, Jenise. I was in Meridian the entire time the Sarafan occupied the city. They simply passed by, remaining in Meridian for a few days before moving on. After traveling around the harsh swamps, they needed to replenish their supplies before moving northward," Vorador affirmed.  
"But the Sarafan in the stronghold told me their Lord planned on centering the Sarafan movement in Meridian!"  
"It was but a ploy, child. Meant to assure the Sarafan left behind that the remainder of their forces were but a day away, when in reality the army would be several days' travel from the stronghold."  
"So that's why Moebius fled," Raziel interjected. "He knew that the entire Sarafan army would be in the far northern regions of Nosgoth, leaving the stronghold vulnerable to attack. That coward!" Raziel fumed in anger over Moebius's abandonment.  
"Do not over burden yourself with Moebius," came words of wisdom from Vorador. "He will get what's coming to him. Right now, you must go to the distant past."  
"Come, Raziel. We should do as he suggests," Jenise urged.  
"You're right. There is a streaming chamber within these swamps that I discovered some time ago. That's our quickest route to our destination," agreed the former vampire. The duo departed Vorador's mansion, Raziel leading the way. After the short trip through the bogs, they arrived at the time chamber.  
Raziel and Jenise descended the long stairway into the alcove below ground. Raziel immediately ran over to the device, which dictated the user's direction and distance through time. Jenise slowly walked up beside him, watching his actions.  
"Are you sure you know how to operate this?" she inquired.  
"Not exactly," Raziel replied with a bit of annoyance, as he studied the dials. "If only I could understand these runes..."  
"Let me see," Jenise suggested, getting a good look at the dials herself. After a brief moment of inspection, she happily chirped, "I know these runes! They are just like the ones in the temple next to my village! They represent numbers! The elders made the children learn these symbols when we were young. Now I'm glad I was forced to sit through their boring lectures!"  
"So you're saying you could set this to a specific point in time?"  
"Yes, well, down to a specific year anyway. How far back do you want to go?"  
Raziel thought a few moments, calculating the time frame before replying, "Nine hundred years."  
"Nine hundred years!?" Jenise repeated in shock. "Are you crazy?"  
"No. You forget, I've already been almost as far back and I come from almost two millennia in the future. Putting us back nine hundred years ensures that we arrive before the Sarafan have been formed, by about thirty years," explained Raziel. 'Thirty years before I unknowingly led the Sarfan directly to Janos,' he guiltily thought to himself.  
"Alright, fine. Nine hundred years it is," the priestess sighed defeat. She turned one of the dials back several clicks, then pressed another dial, activating the device. The chamber hummed to life. She and Raziel went over to the center of the chamber where the propulsion devices lie. Giving Jenise a reassuring glance, they both grabbed hold of the device and turned it ninety degrees. The result caused both to rise up into the air, as gravity gave way. In a flash of brilliant light, the duo vanished through the sands of time. 


	22. Arrival in the Past

Chapter Twenty-Two  
  
The empty time streaming chamber suddenly hummed with electrical current. A flash of bright light erupted throughout the room, blinding any would-be spectators. When the light subsided as quickly as it exploded, the room grew quiet once again...except for the two new arrivals. Raziel, being used to time travel by now, landed carefully on his feet. Jenise, on the other hand, was unceremoniously dumped on her rear.  
"Thanks, for the warning," she growled at Raziel, as she rose to her feet, rubbing the sore spot on her rump. If possible, Raziel would have smirked at her plight. The two warriors exited the time chamber and climbed from the alcove up into the swamps of the past. Jenise looked around once they were outside. The sun was overhead, indicating early afternoon, and illuminating the swamp, though the sun's rays did not penetrate the canopy of trees.  
"So where is Janos Audron's retreat located anyway?" Jenise inquired as she and Raziel began trekking eastward through the swamp.  
"Far to the northeast," replied Raziel, "about three days away."  
"Three days away?"  
"Two if we make good time, but I suppose you'll need to stop and rest somewhere along the way. So the journey will take three days."  
"I don't need rest," scowled the priestess. Raziel sighed, realizing that Jenise's stubborn attitude hadn't left for good like he had hoped, and now it was back with a vengeance.  
"Jenise, you may have vampire blood in you, but I can smell human blood in you as well. Vampires do not require as much rest as humans, but both species requires it. We will make a stop in Uschtenhiem so that you can rest," the former vampire insisted with finality. Jenise, however, was not ready to give in so easily.  
"And what of you? Don't you need rest? Or have you no need of it any longer? Am I wasting your time while I rest? Am I that much of a hindrance to you?"  
"If you keep up your whining, then yes, you are that much of a hindrance," Raziel shot at Jenise. There were a few moments of silence before Raziel continued. "And yes, even I require rest. But I can rest within the spectral realm, and while there, time in this plane stands still."  
"That's kind of cheating," Jenise mumbled in a defeated tone. "Who wouldn't love to get a full night's sleep in only a few seconds time?"  
Raziel 'hmphed' in response as he came to a climbable surface on the northern cliff face of the swamp. The reaver of souls began to climb to the tunnel above, not saying a word to Jenise. The priestess followed suit, silent as well, wondering if this was how the remainder of the trip would be. Raziel quickly scaled the wall. As he waited, he scouted the area for any vampires or humans that may pose as a threat. Jenise reached the top and joined Raziel before they continued onward.  
For roughly three hours, they traveled through the narrow, twisting canyons with few words spoken. Jenise had by now realized that Raziel had become a bit impatient, wanting to reach his goal as quickly as possible. With her presence, his progress would be slowed, and that added frustration. The priestess was just irritated that Raziel would not admit that he felt that way. He didn't deny it either. Instead he just remained silent, and it was driving Jenise crazy.  
"Remember, you did invite me to come with you," Jenise finally broke the silence.  
"Don't remind me," Raziel bluntly replied.  
"Why don't you just admit it?"  
"Admit what?"  
"That you are frustrated that I'm delaying your progress because you are so eager to get to Janos Audron?" she cornered him. He said nothing, just continued onward. "Look, we'll get there sooner or later. There's no need to worry. You don't have to give me the silent treatment anymore."  
Raziel slowed slightly, so that Jenise could catch up and walk beside him. Once she was next to him, Raziel stopped completely. Jenise did the same, curious to Raziel's actions. The former vampire glanced around their surroundings a moment, watching. When he deemed it safe, he spoke, but in a quieted voice.  
"I haven't been giving you the silent treatment," whispered Raziel. "We have been being watched for some time now."  
"Are you sure? I think I would have felt it-" Jenise began, but was cut off my her senses. She could keenly feel the presence of someone watching them intently. "-by now." She finished her sentence, but her tone displayed her embarrassment for having not noticed previously, and for doubting Raziel. The priestess immediately realized that she would have noticed it before, had she not been overstressing about Raziel's silent demeanor towards her.  
"How long has it been since they began watching us?" Jenise asked.  
"Just under two hours now. I haven't been able to get a visual confirmation as to who is watching us. I know there is only one and I'm fairly certain that whoever it is, it must be a vampire. No ordinary human could keep up with us," explained the reaver of souls.  
The duo remained silent for a few moments, following the movements of the unknown entity with their senses. Their connection with the presence began to ebb, until it faded completely, indicating the being's retreat. Unable to sense the unwanted presence any longer, Raziel knew it was no longer necessary to speak in hushed tones.  
"Whoever it is, knows we were aware of his presence," he informed the priestess.  
"Then why didn't he attack? Or at least show himself once he realized we knew he was there?"  
"I'm not certain, but probably because he was alone. He may have been a fledgeling. But whether he is friend or foe is uncertain at this time. We best keep an eye out. Hopefully, he hasn't gone for reinforcements," replied Raziel.  
"Then let's get going. The quicker we get to Uschtenhiem, the better. I doubt a hoard of vampires is going to try to attack one of the larger cities of Nosgoth," Jenise suggested.  
"Uh, right," Raziel agreed, but his tone was unconvincing. Jenise quirked a questioning eyebrow at him, inquisitive as to the meaning of his tone. When Raziel did not answer, she didn't bother for an elaboration. She figured she would learn the meaning of his tone eventually anyway.  
Raziel and Jenise hiked onward the remainder of the day. As night began to fall, they had exited the canyon pathway, which opened up to a large clearing. The full moon high in the sky gave off enough light for sufficient sight. The duo found themselves in a large forest, though the vegetation was only moderate. A dirt road led through the forest, indicating the direction to the city of Uschtenhiem.   
The warriors used the road to guide them, but did not travel on it. Raziel was aware that the road was used by both humans and vampires alike. And either specie was a potential threat. So instead, they hiked within the trees, should they spot someone using the road. A few times, Raziel and Jenise spotted a human traveling the road, headed towards the canyons, now a few hours behind the warriors. They paused in their travel making little noise, so as not to alert the humans. Raziel would invoke the dark element within the wraith blade to avoid detection. The duo remained still until the humans passed by, unaware of their presence. Given the late hour of the night, and the distance from any human establishment, these near encounters rarely occurred.  
Sunlight was still a few hours away when Raziel and Jenise spotted the end of the forest. The moon long ago descended in the night sky, and now was teetering over the horizon. Raziel had summoned the light enhanced wraith blade for better visibility. As the time travelers reached the forest edge, Raziel replaced the light element with dark element in the wraith blade. Reaching out with his left hand, he grabbed Jenise's right arm, halting her in her tracks.  
"There's a group of vampires out there waiting to ambush us," Raziel whispered to Jenise before she could demand the reason for his action. Jenise could feel their presence as well; at least a dozen of them were waiting just outside the forest line.  
"We can't go out there," Jenise replied quietly. "They will certainly attack. We should call out to them. Let them know we are aware of their presence and that we mean no harm."  
"I don't know how wise that is," disagreed Raziel. "It could just prompt an attack."  
"And is that better than just waltzing out there and let them proceed with their intended ambush?"  
Raziel sighed in defeat, accepting Jenise's reasoning. He continued onward towards the clearing. If not for the seriousness of the situation at hand, Jenise would have grinned at her victory over Raziel. She quickly followed behind him. As they broke through the tree line, Jenise called out to them.  
"We know you're there! We are of no threat to you!" she announced, holding her empty hands up for the vampires to inspect. Raziel walked beside Jenise, but more aggressively. His hands remained at his sides, unwilling to surrender. There were a total of fourteen vampires awaiting them, all prepared to strike at their leader's command. It was a quiet stalemate for several moments.  
"At ease," came the short command from a vampire in the front, obviously the leader. The remaining vampires relaxed from their battle stances. "What is your purpose here?" the commanding vampire bluntly demanded of Raziel and Jenise.  
"We are merely passing through," Raziel replied icily. "We have done nothing to warrant an attack from you, so let us be on our way."  
"What business have you with Janos Audron then?" he specified. Raziel then realized that this vampire felt familiar, the one who had been spying on them earlier in the day. He must have overheard Jenise when she spoke of their plans.  
"I wish to have a small chat with him over a warm cup of tea. Did you care to join us?" snidely replied the reaver of souls. Jenise barely stifled a snicker at Raziel's bold taunt. The vampire was visibly irritated by Raziel's lack of respect.  
"I will see to it that you never see my master Janos," sneered the vampire, eyeing Raziel. "You are not worthy enough to bestow your presence in front of him. Even if it kills me, I will not allow you to offend our lord with your hideous form."  
It was now Raziel's turn to be filled with insult and rage. "And what might your name be, so that I may personally deliver the news of your death to Janos after I have disposed of your fragile corpse?" demanded Raziel as he manifested the wraith blade with light so that the vampire could better see the threat. The blade fed from Raziel's rage. Anxious for battle, it hummed with hunger for the vampire's soul.   
The vampire was taken by surprise by the appearance of the wraith blade. He had not noticed this when he had studied Raziel and Jenise earlier. He realized there would be no way of disarming the demon. He opted to back down slightly, but would not allow the demon and his female companion to realize this right away. His offense that they did not know of him overrode all other options.  
"I am Vorador, first of Janos Audron's children. I am sworn to protect him from all dangers, whether they be vampire hunters..." he glanced at Jenise, "...or demon." He turned his gaze back to Raziel.  
At this introduction, Raziel and Jenise looked to each other in surprise. Raziel withdrew his wraith blade, his demeanor changing instantly from hostile rage to shock, to trusted acquaintanceship. The sudden change in attitude left Vorador confused.  
"Vorador? Why I hardly recognize you," Raziel mused. Indeed, Vorador's appearance was much different than that of his future counterpart. This Vorador still held most of his human characteristics, and looked less demonic than his future self. Raziel noticed that Vorador had cloven hands, indicating he had already undergone an evolution. His skin was pale, slightly blue, rather than sickly green. His pointed ears were a little more elongated than a vampire from Raziel's days as a vampire. He wasn't nearly as powerful as his future self, yet.  
"Have we met?" Vorador curiously inquired, interrupting Raziel's examination.  
"Yes, and no. We know of you, but you do not know us as of yet," Raziel chose his words carefully, so as not to tip Vorador off to his and Jenise's true origins. "My name is Raziel. My companion is Jenise. We simply need to ask Janos a few questions, and we shall be on our way."  
Vorador thought about Raziel's words for a few moments, deciding whether or not this decayed figure and, what he assumed to be a vampire hunter, could be trusted. What he did not understand, was that if she was a vampire hunter, why had she allied herself with a demon? Then there were their names: Raziel and Jenise. They held a familiarity that he could not figure out. He decided that he should trust the warriors.  
"Do you know your way?" Vorador inquired.  
"Yes. We should be able to arrive at Janos Audron's stronghold in two days time, after we make a stop in Uschtenhiem," answered Raziel.  
"That may be a risky decision," commented the vampire.  
"How so?"  
"Uschtenhiem is currently occupied by a brigand of vampire hunters. Not a problem for you Jenise, but Raziel..." Vorador trailed off, not needing to explain.  
"I'm not a vampire hunter," Jenise snorted, slightly irritated by the assumption. Vorador gave her an apologetic glance. He then turned to the vampire at his right and removed the cloak from said vampire, who offered no protest.  
"Here, take this," instructed Vorador as he handed the cloak to Raziel. "It shall hide your...features...from the humans' suspecting eyes. Also, go to the second street inn and mention my name to the innkeeper. He shall provide you with a room until you are well rested."  
Raziel wrapped the cloak around his form. He and Jenise thanked Vorador for his assistance before departing, wishing to arrive in the city before dawn. The shroud of night would help Raziel hide himself easier. The plains separating the forest and Uschtenhiem were not that large. It only took an hour for Jenise and Raziel to arrive at their first location.   
The view of the city before Jenise took her by surprise. Uschtenhiem was little more than a newly established settlement. Not the thriving city she had left some nine hundred years in the future. So this was the reasoning behind her partner's patronizing response earlier in the day. Raziel boldly entered the village, the flaps of his cloak snapping in his wake. Jenise followed behind as they quickly made their way to the inn. 


	23. Rest and Relaxation

Chapter Twenty-three  
  
The exhausted innkeeper yawned as he scrawled the last few words onto a document as he sat at his desk. It had been a long night with very few customers. But that was the usual. Uschtenhiem was a far distance from the closest city and it was too small a village to attract any tourists. Only vampire hunters usually made use of his inn.   
The front room was lit by the single candle at his desk, which only added to his tired state. Deciding to call it a night, the innkeeper rose from his seat, taking the candle with him. He was about to check the fire before he retired, when the front door suddenly flew open, startling the poor man. In the doorway, he could make out two figures. One was moderately armored, the other concealed in a cloak. They stood silently in the doorway for a few moments, staring at the innkeeper.  
"Please, come on in," the innkeeper gestured, placing the candle back down. Raziel and Jenise entered the inn, closing the door behind them, and approached the desk. The innkeeper made a mental note that they must be vampire hunters, based upon his poor assessment of the two. "How might I help you folks tonight?"  
"We are in need of a room," Jenise replied politely. "With two beds and perhaps a bath if you might have one."  
Raziel glanced questioningly at Jenise after the part where she requested the bath. She returned a look of her own which seemed to say 'what?' The innkeeper turned to a cabinet behind his desk and removed a key from within.  
"I just so happen to have such a room available. It is the only room I have which has a bath included, however, it is a bit pricey," he informed his guests.  
"That does not matter," Jenise responded, turning back towards the man.  
"Of course not," he replied. "But I do need a down payment. The room is fifty gold pieces a night. I require twenty now. The rest you can pay later..." requested the innkeeper, his voice trailing off at the sight of Jenise's disapproving look. "I'm sorry if the price seems rather high, but I have been stiffed by several hunters as of late, and I am a business man after all..."  
"It's not a problem," Jenise answered the man. "Just put the room on Lord Vorador's account. We will be staying only for the rest of tonight and will most likely be leaving late tomorrow afternoon."  
The innkeeper gasped at Jenise's claim. "You are an acquaintance of Lord Vorador?" Jenise responded with a nod. "Why didn't you say so in the first place? The room is complimentary! Allow me to show you to your room!"  
The innkeeper reclaimed the candle and hurried around the desk. He led the warriors up a small flight of narrow stairs and down a long hallway. He unlocked the last door on the left and opened the door before handing Jenise the key. He walked inside and lit a few candles for which to see better.  
"If you need anything at all, don't be afraid to ask! I'll be in the room downstairs. If you feel hungry, just go to the diner next door. Just tell my brother who works there that I sent you, and he shall make you the best meal you ever tasted!" the innkeeper chirped.  
"Thank you very much," Jenise replied, as the innkeeper left, shutting the door behind him.  
"I thought he'd never leave," Raziel finally sighed, ridding himself of the hindering cloak. Jenise walked over to the bed, pushing down on it, testing its comfort. When satisfied, she sat on the bed and began removing her armor. Raziel turned away, thumbing through the few books that rested upon a nearby desk until he heard Jenise settle into the blankets.  
"Aren't you going to get any rest?" the priestess asked of the reaver.  
"I'm not tired. I'll stand watch, just in case."  
"Alright. If you're going to be up anyway, wake me at around eleven so that I can catch breakfast," she replied, resting her head on the pillow. Raziel could tell by her breathing that she had quickly fallen asleep. Raziel sat on the other bed with a book in hand for which to pass the time. It wasn't before long, that he, the reaver of souls himself, fell asleep as well, despite his lack for need of sleep.  
  
Raziel turned over in his bed, sleep starting to leave him. After a moment, he sprang up in bed, realizing where he was. He looked over to the bed across the room, to find it empty. Worry began to spread across Raziel's face at Jenise's disappearance. He leapt out of bed and headed towards the door, when it suddenly opened. Raziel panicked for a moment, uncertain whether or not he would be discovered, but was relieved to see Jenise enter the room.  
"Oh, so I see you're finally awake! I thought you didn't need to rest?" she teased the former vampire. Raziel stammered a few moments, unable to explain his long bout of slumber. "By the way, thanks for the wake up call," the priestess's sarcasm continued to rub it in. She walked across the room, placing a parcel on the desk.  
"What's in the bag?" Raziel inquired, changing the subject.  
"Some extra food for our journey. James, the owner of the diner, felt obliged to fix me up a little food after I told him how long we'd be traveling."  
"Did you tell him our destination?" asked a worried Raziel.  
"Of course not! And have the whole town asking me questions? It was hard enough to try to explain your absence at breakfast!" she remarked.  
"Have you rested well enough?"  
"Yes, I feel much better, though I have yet to bathe myself. I feel so disgusting. You don't mind waiting do you? I'd like to look my best when I meet the almighty Janos Audron," she chirped.  
"Ha! Compared to me, he wouldn't even notice!" Raziel joked, earning a smirk from Jenise.  
"I won't be long. We can leave after I'm done," she informed, stepping into the bathroom and shutting the door.   
Raziel listened as he heard the priestess turn on the water. He turned his attention back to the book he had been reading the night before. The book wasn't meant for educational purposes, but for entertainment. It was a story about a great warrior who fought valiantly against an evil and cruel monster. It was almost like a fairy tale. And like most fairy tales, there was an element of romance. The warrior had fallen in love with a beautiful maiden from a distant land, but their romance was a forbidden one...but Raziel was uninterested in those parts of the story. So he just skipped through the pages, reading about the battle between the hero and antagonist.  
Before Raziel realized it, an hour had passed by, and Jenise had finished her bath. She emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed, but still towel drying her wet hair. Raziel turned his attention from the book, placing it on the bed beside him. As he watched Jenise dry her hair the best she could, he could plainly see that it reached down to the small of her back; a lot more hair than he'd originally thought she had.  
Once satisfied that her hair was dry enough, Jenise put her hair back into the usual bun. She gathered her sword, shield, and the parcel of food. Raziel rose from the bed, and replaced the cloak about his form, holding it tight to his body. The two then left the room and headed downstairs, dropping the key off at the desk and left the inn. There were a few of the village residents milling about the streets, buying and selling, or conversing amongst themselves. Most took no notice of the two warriors passing by. A few gave a curious gaze before continuing on their way.  
It was late afternoon when Jenise and Raziel left the village that would become the great city of Uschtenhiem. The place of their destination was still a day ahead of them. Fortunately, they would not encounter many more humans north of Uschtenhiem. However, they knew they might come in contact with vampires. Hopefully, those vampires would not be hostile.   
The terrain once again turned rugged. The warriors found themselves traveling through some of the northern mountains, but Raziel knew this was the route to Janos Audron's sanctuary. The canyons proved difficult to maneuver, and some even dangerous. But this did not stop the priestess and the reaver. Day turned to dusk, and dusk became night. Jenise had long ago begun to wonder if they would ever reach Janos's retreat. They had stopped during nightfall so that Jenise could eat the tidbits of food provided for her. That had been hours ago, and now her stomach pleaded for more sustenance.  
As dawn approached, Jenise began to feel exhaustion tugging at every limb. Raziel was aware of this, but pushed onward nonetheless. The priestess did nothing to complain. She, too, was eager to reach their desired goal and she was determined not to stop again until they arrived. But doubt still flickered in the back of her mind.   
Just as Jenise thought her body would give out before her will would, the narrow canyon passageway that she and Raziel had been traveling suddenly opened up to a large lake. Spotting the lake and extremely wore out from the trek, Jenise collapsed to her knees, panting and out of breath. Raziel, who had been in front of her, had stopped in place, taking in the view.  
"You got to be kidding me," Jenise panted. "We have to cross that now too?"  
"No, we're here," replied Raziel calmly. Jenise snapped her head up, inspecting the full sight of the lake. Her eyes widened in surprise. High up above the lake, there was a building carved into the cliff face. To the left, about halfway down, there was an entrance, reachable by a long flight of stairs. Jenise followed them down, to a cliff path overlooking the lake. From the path, was a series of bridges across the lake, three in all.   
Each bridge connected large stones that emerged from the surface of the water. The closest bridge connected to the ground off to Jenise's left. Raziel's eyes traveled over the series of bridges. A few decades from now, these structures would be reduced to chunks of rubble, settled at the bottom of the lake.  
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" inquired the priestess. 


	24. Secrets of Nosgoth: Part One

Chapter Twenty-Four  
  
Raziel and Jenise crossed the three bridges over the lake. Raziel couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the architecture of the structures. Not thirty years from now, and they will have been destroyed, the remnants resting forever on the lakebed. The same fate waited for the staircase up ahead. Whether the Sarafan had destroyed the stone bridges or if the vampires destroyed the easy route in an attempt to protect Janos, Raziel did not know.  
After climbing the stairway, the duo opened the doorway into the retreat. They followed the long corridor down to the end, where it opened up into a large open space, which Raziel recognized to be the hollowed-out mountain interior where he let down all the bridges in order to reach Janos's lookout. This was the place where he had created the path the Sarafan would use to ambush Janos and murder him.  
But Raziel need not worry about that now. The Sarafan have not been formed as of yet. From their place at the end of the corridor, Raziel and Jenise were about halfway up to Janos's look out. Leading the way, Raziel ascended the stairs, ramps, and bridges, with Jenise following behind.   
As they climbed the last set of stairs to Janos's chambers, several elite vampires emerged from within the chamber, blocking the path, protecting their lord and master. Jenise and Raziel stopped in their tracks. They were clearly outnumbered seven to one. And they were several feet from solid ground. A battle under these circumstances was clearly unwise.  
"Let them pass," an ancient and accented voice called out from behind the vampire fleet. They all turned questioningly behind them.  
"But milord, one of them is a vampire hunter," protested one of the vampires near the front.  
"No, she is not a hunter. I have been expecting their arrival. They are no threat to us," came the calm, soothing voice. The vampires parted, allowing Raziel and Jenise to pass. As they entered the chamber, they were welcomed by the sight of Janos Audron himself.  
"I must say, I wasn't expecting you so soon," Janos replied with a grin. "You made excellent time, given that you even stopped along the way."  
"But how did you know..." Jenise curiously demanded, her voice full of wonder. She was already astonished that she was face to face with the legendary vampire. Though the legends she was told made Janos out to be a monster, she had always felt deep down inside, that he was not what the Sarafan made him out to be. Now she was witness to that fact first hand. He was not a hideous monster from hell. He was calm, peaceful, non-threatening. Overall, she was awed by him.  
"Vorador had already contacted me, to inform me of your eminent arrival," replied the ancient vampire.  
"So you know why we're here then?" inquired Raziel.  
"To a certain extent," Janos vaguely answered. He allowed himself a quick assessment of his two guests. "But before we get into that, perhaps you should rest after your long journey."   
"Janos, we have traveled a long way, and we have waited a long time to see you. Forgive me if I may seem a little hasty, but I would prefer not to wait any longer. The last time I took my time..." Raziel replied, trailing off towards the end in remembrance of his last encounter with Janos.  
"Raziel, you must have patience. Do not fret, you will get the answers you seek," reassured Janos. They were interrupted by Jenise yawning.  
"Come one, Raziel, it's late. Let's get a little rest and then we can listen to Janos in the morning," insisted the priestess. Raziel sighed with defeat.  
Jenise was taken to a private bedchamber, where she settled in for the remainder of the night. Raziel was restless, so he didn't retire right away. Instead, he stood on the balcony for several hours, lost in his own thought as he gazed downward at the lake below. Even when Janos had tried to convince the reaver of souls to get a little rest, he declined. As the morning hours approached, Raziel found himself wandering around the retreat, exploring the home of Janos, considering he never had that chance last time around.  
Eventually, Raziel made his way back into the main chamber. Waiting for Janos and Jenise to rise, he stood at the mantle displaying the Soul Reaver. Though he did not feel the strange pull of the Reaver he had previously experienced, he was still captivated by its sight. He was so entranced by the blade that he almost did not notice Jenise walk up beside him.  
"Hey, is that...?" she began to ask, but her question was stifled by a yawn.  
"Ah, I see you two have found the Reaver," came the sound of Janos's accented voice. Jenise and Raziel turned to face the vampire. Janos approached the reaver, his guests following his movements with obvious anticipation. This was the moment they both had been waiting for. Janos lightly ran his hand down the hilt of the weapon, before taking it up, examining the craftsmanship put into the blade. Resting the blade of the sword in his left hand, the vampire turned his right underneath the hilt and held the weapon out to Raziel.  
"Go ahead, take it," he coaxed the former vampire. Raziel hesitated at first, but then slowly took the blade, fully trusting Janos. When he felt no different than before, Raziel let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding until now.  
"You should probably know by now, Raziel, that you and the Soul Reaver are the key to the pillars of Nosgoth," Janos calmly replied. Raziel snapped his head away from the reaver to look at Janos.  
"But how did you know...?" he wondered aloud, trailing off towards the end.  
"Kain and Moebius are not the only one's with access to the oracle's caves," Janos simply stated, leaving the obvious explanation unspoken.   
"I know my destiny is intertwined with the Reaver, and I know what destiny the hands of fate has written for me, however, I do not know how it will unfold now that Kain has tempered with the order of events," Raziel stated, as he gazed solemnly at the blade in his hands.  
"Unfortunately, Raziel, I cannot help you with that," informed the vampire. He rested a comforting hand on Raziel's shoulder.  
"One question that has been plaguing me is that of the Hilden. Who are they?" the reaver of souls inquired.  
"Ah, the Hilden. They are a terrible race of beings," Janos explained. "One thousand years ago, the vampires of my species and the Hilden were at war with each other. No one knew for sure how the Hilden came into our world, but we knew that they were a race of demonic beings. Their intentions were to take control of Nosgoth and enslave the human race. At that time, the vampire race was well secluded and unknown to humans. We were the overseers and protectors of Nosgoth, sworn to ensure Nosgoth's prosperity.  
"Then the Hilden appeared, and in vast numbers. Immediately, they began ravaging the human civilizations, reaping towns and villages for slaves. Humans for the most part were helpless to stop them. What few resistance groups were formed had been crushed by the Hilden with little effort.  
"The vampire race, since the beginnings of time, were sworn not to interfere with human affairs, but with the Hilden's atrocities, we were left with no choice but to reveal ourselves to save our fellow inhabitants of Nosgoth. We fought the Hilden in many battles. Humans and vampires eventually began to fight side by side, but both species suffered heavy casualties at the hands of the Hilden. The land of Nosgoth itself was also suffering because of the Hilden. It seemed there would be no end to the war, until we were blessed with a stroke of luck.  
"The commander of the vampire army and the best lieutenant of the human army had gone into one of the bloodiest battles against the Hilden. When they returned, they had with them a Hilden prisoner, one of the Hilden elite. The elite did not cooperate well, but we were able to learn from him that the Hilden race were in fact from a realm of demons. They had broken through the boundary between our worlds, and we became determined to send them back.  
"The vampires devised a plan to free Nosgoth of the Hilden. We began building the pillars of Nosgoth deep within the safety of vampire and human territory. To each pillar, a vampire guardian was designated. Humans were not initially chosen, as their life spans were much shorter than a vampire's. The pillars would be used to repel all demons from Nosgoth and purify all evil, when activated. But a key was needed to activate and deactivate the pillars; thus the forging of the reaver..."  
"Couldn't the pillars have been left active so that the Hilden could not return?" Jenise interrupted.  
"Unfortunately no," Janos patiently replied, slowly shaking his head from side to side for emphasis. "In order to activate the pillars, all of the guardians were needed to be present, channeling their energy into their respective pillars. The activation of the pillars requires a great deal of energy. The guardians would run out of energy after a short amount of time, and if left active, the pillars would absorb all the life energy from their guardians. If that were to happen, then a tear between our world and the demon world would form permanently, and all hopes of freeing ourselves from the Hilden would be lost."  
"I see," replied Jenise, slightly disappointed, but understanding.  
"The construction of the pillars was almost complete, when disaster struck. The Hilden had been quiet for quite some time, and we had become slightly naïve. We became overconfident with thoughts of our success and we believed that the Hilden might have decided to give up. In reality, they were regrouping and planning a massive attack. And they took us by surprise, attacking cities well within the boundaries of our safe zone.  
"The commander of the vampire army led our closest troops into battle, trying to fend of the overwhelming attack. We began to believe we were fighting a losing battle. The vampire army was failing. If they were unable to stop the Hilden, then the demons would have free reign to destroy the pillars.   
"Even though the situation looked dire, the vampire commander refused to give up. He fought harder as each of his comrades fell. Soon, he found himself fighting face to face with the Hilden ruler. Though the ruler had never before been seen by our forces, the commander knew he could be facing no one else, for he had never laid eyes on another Hilden such as he. This one contained both the brute strength of the lowest Hilden and the intellect and mage abilities of the elites.  
"The vampire commander and the Hilden ruler fought a brutal battle. However, the vampire had already suffered many injuries, and he could not win the fight. As the Hilden warriors finished off the remainders of the commander's troops, the Hilden ruler moved in for the kill. Fortunately, reinforcements had arrived. The lieutenant of the humans had arrived with strong healthy men. The tide of the battle had turned.  
"Angered, the Hilden ruler made out to swiftly kill the helpless vampire commander. Seeing this, the human lieutenant was filled with rage. You see, by this time, the lieutenant and the vampire commander had become very close."  
Raziel's sudden change in expression caused Janos to pause in his tale. "I don't understand. What do you mean by 'very close'?" Raziel inquired, slightly...disturbed...by Janos's last sentence. Jenise's bewildered expression matched that of Raziel's. Janos chuckled lightly before continuing, knowing why his audience seemed confused.  
"Do not assume so much, Raziel," suggested the ancient vampire. "The human lieutenant was a woman." Raziel and Jenise both shared a brief moment of surprise, before accepting the tidbit of clarified information.  
"The human leader attacked the Hilden lord while he was distracted with his murderous attempt. She had dealt a lethal blow to the leader of the Hilden, momentarily incapacitating him. She took the valuable moments to assess the vampire commander's wounds. Before the Hilden ruler could retaliate, she retreated with the prone vampire on horseback, as the humans and vampires forced the Hilden warriors to retreat.  
"The lieutenant returned to our sanctuary with her beloved so that he could heal. It was during this time that their forbidden romance had been discovered. Under normal circumstances, vampires were not to mingle with humans. To be romantically involved with a human was blasphemous and was met with great punishment. However, given the situation with the Hilden, all had been overseen for the most part. The lieutenant's brave efforts to save the vampire commander had won over the vampire population. Within a few days, the vampire commander had recovered.  
"The pillars had been completed, and guardians were assigned to each pillar. The key had been forged, and the Soul Reaver had been given to the vampire commander to protect. As an afterthought, a shield was crafted, designed to protect the bearer of the Reaver and the guardians of the pillars. For her bravery in battle, her dedication to the vampires, and her willingness to sacrifice herself for others, the shield was given to the female human lieutenant. That same shield is the one in your very possession, Jenise," Janos enlightened his awestruck guests. 


	25. Secrets of Nosgoth: Part Two

Chapter Twenty-Five  
  
"That same shield is the one in your very possession, Jenise," Janos enlightened his awestruck guests. Jenise removed the shield from her back, staring at it in amazement.  
"I knew this shield was old, but I never imagined it was nearly this old," she muttered to herself. After a moment, her head snapped up as a realization hit her. "This shield has been in my family's heritage for centuries, passed down from mother to daughter. Does that mean that the lieutenant was...?"  
"Yes, it does," Janos nodded a confirmation. "The lieutenant is your great ancestor."  
The priestess took a seat in a nearby chair, her head dizzy with revelations. Raziel looked on, slightly concerned. He knew the overwhelming experience of learning part of one's history and destiny.  
"Wait a second," Jenise blurted with realization. "If that's true, then my purpose is to protect you, Raziel," she stated, looking up at the reaver of souls. "I'm the wielder of the shield, and you're the bearer of the Soul Reaver. That means I'm also supposed to protect the pillar guardians...but there are no guardians..." the priestess trailed off, saddened.  
"Please, Janos. Continue your story," Raziel politely asked of the vampire, who wore a toothy grin at Jenise's intuition.  
"The pillars had been completed and the Reaver had been forged. Now all that was left was to activate the pillars and rid Nosgoth of the Hilden. The guardians all assembled themselves at the pillars and began to pour their energy into the artifacts. As the energy escalated, the pillar symbols pulsed with power.   
"Suddenly, an electric arch of energy shot out from each of the outer eight pillars and into the center pillar of balance. From the balance pillar, another, much greater arch of energy shot out from the balance symbol and met with the center of the pillar platform. There, the 'keyhole' for the Reaver revealed itself, as a small ripple of energy large enough to fit the blade within.  
"Just as the vampire commander was about to thrust the Reaver into its 'keyhole,' the act which would free Nosgoth, the sound of war horns filled the air. The Hilden had breached the vampire and human army and were just beyond the gates surrounding the pillars. The Hilden ruler was at the front of the attack, attempting to breach the wall separating his army from the pillars.  
"The defending armies outside were dwindling, the results of being at the disadvantage of a surprise attack. The Hilden were attempting to break down the gateway. Everyone looked on with horror as the last barrier was breached, the doors to the gate had been broken off their hinges. The Hilden swarmed the premises. What few warriors we had within immediately attacked the trespassers. The lieutenant of the human army, sworn to protect the pillars and their guardians, leapt into battle with unfettered determination.   
"The vampire bearer of the Reaver stood guard at the center of the platform, watching should any Hilden try to approach the circle. Out of the fray and chaos, emerged the Hilden lord, his eyes set of the prey that shouldn't have eluded him a few weeks beforehand. With hate-filled vengeance, the Hilden lord attacked the vampire commander.   
"A bloody battle ensued. Both the vampire and Hilden ruler dealt many critical blows, but neither was showing any signs of backing down. But the vampire had a plan. The Hilden lord attacked again, and the vampire let the attack nick him, but allowed the lord to believe he had landed a crippling blow. Overconfident, the Hilden lord strode over the vampire, gloating of his impending victory. When he let his guard down, the vampire attacked.  
"The Hilden lord suffered a vital blow. With the Hilden helpless to defend himself, the vampire moved in for the kill, determined to end the struggle once and for all. But he had been distracted. He turned his head in the direction of the balance guardian, who was calling out to him, warning him of the short amount of time left before the guardians lost their energy. With this distraction, the Hilden lord leapt at the vampire, and thrust his sword through the vampire's stomach.  
"The human lieutenant, in the middle of battle, had just slain a Hilden in time to witness the devastating act upon her beloved. Enraged, she charged to his protection. The Hilden lord was preparing the killing blow, when the human's shield came into the path of his sword. He looked down at the human, puzzled for a moment, before recognizing her as the wench who interfered a few weeks prior.  
"The Hilden lord prepared another attack, this one aimed for the lieutenant. As he did so, a flurry of emotions swarmed the lieutenant. Rage at the Hilden race, guilt for failing her beloved, sorrow for his eminent death, and finally, her duty to protect the circle. The Hilden lord had summoned up a strange energy to aid him in his attack. As he swung his weapon down upon the lieutenant, she raised her shield defiantly against him, pouring her energy into the object of protection.   
"The shield glowed with power. As the blade came near, a barrier of energy manifested in front of the shield. Stopped by the protective energy, the Hilden's attack never connected with the shield. The lieutenant continued to pour her energy into the shield. The magnitude of her energy thrust the Hilden lord back, through the air and into the battleground. The lieutenant did not refrain, for she knew the Hilden lord would attempt retaliation.  
"She pushed all her energy into the shield. As she did so, the shield increased the energy barrier that had been created, causing it to surround the pillar circle. With the barrier in place, the lieutenant glanced over her shoulder to assess the condition of her love. She knew he would not survive, but she refused to think about that. He was able to rise to one knee, so she encouraged him to fulfill his role in the liberation of Nosgoth.  
"The vampire commander took up the Soul Reaver, and limped to the energy ripple at the center of the circle. With a great effort, he thrust the blade downwards into the 'keyhole.' A flash of energy filled the circle, and the blinding light knocked the vampire back. A large beam of energy shot straight up into the air from the Reaver, opening a portal in the night sky. All that were present stopped to stare; some in awe, some in fear.  
"Suddenly, the portal began to create a vacuum, ripping the Hilden warriors from the ground, and greedily swallowing them. The Hilden Lord watched on helplessly as his warriors disappeared through the vortex. Vengeance for his people filled him, and he resorted to an ancient Hilden spell to extract his revenge. As he was pulled from the ground by the portal, he recited the spell, finishing it as he neared the portal barrier.   
"With a flash of energy, the Hilden lord was gone. But the aftermath of his presence had not disappeared as he had. The spell had taken immediate effect and all the vampires began to writhe in pain. With their concentration broken by their agony, the pillar guardians abruptly stopped channeling their energy into the pillars, and the portal closed. With the Hilden gone, the human lieutenant withdrew the barrier she had erected. She went to her beloved's side, afraid of what was happening to him and the other vampires.  
"The pain eventually subsided, and the vampires slowly rose to their feet, one by one. All except for the Reaver bearer, that is. He was suffering from his fatal wounds, dying in the lieutenant's arms. We all felt the sorrow she felt that day, for he had been one of the noblest of our kind. But in the long run, it was for the better of them both. For we soon discovered what the Hilden lord's spell had wrought upon us: the need for blood.  
"It was a cruel joke played upon both humans and vampires. The curse was a revenge against the alliance between the two species, and sparked by the undying love between a vampire commander and a human lieutenant. The vampires were now forced by the curse to feed on the humans who for centuries they had sworn to protect. And the humans found themselves in fear of the beings they had so entrusted with their lives.  
"At first, many vampires tried to refuse the call of the blood thirst. They would not commit the blasphemy of breaking their sworn oath to protect the humans. Their beliefs and morals were so great, that their refusal sent them to their deaths. Realizing the tragic outcome of refusal, the vampires gave in to the thirst. Their argument being, that if there were no vampires to protect Nosgoth and its inhabitants, then who would?  
"After the Hilden wars, the vampire population of Nosgoth had dwindled from several thousands to a mere seven hundred thirty-two. Almost half died at the refusal to drink blood. The remaining vampires accepted the curse and began to feed upon the humans. The humans eventually forgot the Hilden wars and the fear of Nosgoth's vampires developed.  
"The humans began to create hunting parties for which to destroy 'the vampire menace'. We were not easy to kill, but often times, carelessness on the vampire's part led to his death. The majority of vampire deaths were the result of an ambush and of being heavily outnumbered. Over the next few centuries, our numbers were drastically thinned. Even the vampire guardians had fallen at the hands of vampire hunters.  
"Before I knew it, I was the sole survivor of the vampires. It pained me that the very people we had protected so long ago had driven our race to extinction. I knew that with my death, there would be no more protectors of Nosgoth, despite the fact that the pillars had chosen new, human guardians. It was then that I decided to attempt a feat that would have been heavily frowned upon during the time before the Hilden wars. It was a feat that had never been attempted beforehand.  
"Among the humans, there was a small cult who were still loyal to vampires. They were the few who still knew the stories of the 'great war between the demons.' These humans, for generations, would aid a vampire in a time of need. I took interest in these outcasts and their current leader in particular did not escape my attention. He was a strong warrior and a great leader, so I chose him to be the first of the next generation of vampires.  
"I approached him alone one night, and proposed my offer to him. I did not accept an answer from him right away. I wanted him to think about it very carefully. I wanted it to be the right decision for himself. The next night, I encountered him again, and he had decided to accept my offer. And so was born my first vampire son, Vorador."  
"He was the first vampire you created?" Raziel interrupted, astonished by the newfound knowledge. "How old does that make him then?"  
Janos answered Raziel's question and continued. "That day was over three hundred years ago, but it didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped. As Vorador transformed to a vampire, his human body could not sustain the changes. He suffered a painful and horrific mortal death. As his body lay still, his skin cooling, I felt a wave of utter nausea and despair. But then, Vorador rose, awoken as a new specie of vampire. He was alive, but at the same time he wasn't. Undead was the term eventually applied to his state of being. Vampires were now truly the demons of Nosgoth.   
"From me, Vorador had acquired vampiric characteristics; pale complexion, pointed ears, brute strength, and unfortunately, the thirst. However, his unnatural resurrection prevented him from the abilities of withstanding sunlight and water. He also did not inherit the wings that enable a vampire to fly. Despite these changes, an even greater one took place. He inherited a 'dark gift', an ability none of the ancient vampires possessed: accelerated regeneration. It was a result of his undead transformation.  
"For several years, I trained Vorador on the teachings of our once magnificent race. He became stronger over those years. He learned to control his thirst for blood and eventually grew a tolerance to sunlight and water, though he is not entirely immune to them. Overall, the successes of Vorador's change overrode the unexpected side effects and I created three more like Vorador. I trained those three as well, with Vorador's assistance.  
"After a century's time, my four children underwent a strange turn of events. They went into a comatose state, secluding themselves for several months. When they emerged, they were transformed. Their almost entirely human appearances had changed to resemble more of a vampiric one. Their hands and feet had become cloven, as mine are. They also developed the ability to make more vampires of their own.  
"My children began to create small groups of their own vampire children. To the horror of the humans, the vampire population began to thrive once again. They had believed vampires to be extinct, but found themselves taking to arms once again in the hunt for vampires. But I noticed the struggle to be terribly different this second time around. The vampire thirst for blood had been changed from a simple requirement to survive into a sadistic act of joy. And the human perjury of vampires became a bloodlust massacre. And so it has been, for the past two hundred years." 


	26. Interlude Five: Revival

Chapter Twenty-Six: Interlude Five  
  
"It is an excellent plan my lord. My Sarafan Lord."  
Moebius's words echoed through Kain's mind long after the deceitful guardian had left the chronoplast chamber. Anger rose within the master vampire of Nosgoth's future.  
"So, Moebius has toyed with time yet again," Kain thought to himself. "That Sarafan bastard was supposed to have been exiled from this world like the rest of his race. Instead, Moebius snatches him out of the sands of time and brings him here for his own selfish motives. Little does he know of the fate he has wrought upon the human race. To think that vampire bloodlust is bad enough? The Hilden's slavery over humans is far worse. But if that is how Moebius wishes to play his game, then so be it. I, too, am no stranger to this game. If Moebius wants to pull an ally out of Nosgoth's past, than so shall I."  
Setting the dials within the Chronoplast once again, Kain sent himself further into Nosgoth's history. A history he was much more familiar with. A history not yet altered by the interference of outside influence. But that would soon change. When Kain exited the chronoplast, he found himself at the time when he was a flegdeling. Shortly after he discovered his destiny to be the balance guardian. After he was sent out by the Necromancer and Ariel to murder the circle in order to restore balance to Nosgoth.  
It was not long before this time, that Moebius had murdered Vorador. The ancient vampire's head would be hung to a statue of Moebius. The final trophy of a martyr's 'noble' deeds. Kain teleported himself to the Sarafan stronghold, the known location of said statue. Deep within the stronghold where William the Just's sarcophagus lie, the statue of Moebius was also found. Kain unsheathed the Soul Reaver from his back and swung the blade at the statue's arm that displayed Vorador's head.  
The arm and the vampire head came tumbling down, but it was only the arm that connected with the floor, shattering to pieces on contact. Vorador's head had been safely secured by Kain during its descent. Kain sheathed the Reaver and teleported out of the stronghold mere seconds before several guardsmen came to investigate the disturbance. The sight before them was indeed a bad omen.  
Kain's second stop was Vorador's mansion. In the few years since the vampire's death, the mansion seemed to deteriorate with the absence of its vampire inhabitants. Kain entered the mansion wearily. Calling forth some of his Eldrich magic, he illuminated the chambers within. Kain carefully began his search for Vorador's body. Hopefully, it was here.  
Kain recalled the news he learned after his first visit into Nosgoth's past. The visit in which he would murder King William before he became the Nemesis. Upon Kain's return, he had learned that his actions warranted a vampire genocide, that Vorador had been the only other remaining vampire alive...until Moebius murdered him in that cowardly fashion, using his staff to subdue the vampire. If Kain's memory of such events was accurate, then vampire worshippers had taken Vorador's body here after his execution.  
Kain searched all the above ground chambers and had turned up nothing. His search began to look in vain. The master vampire descended the mansion into the dark chambers below ground. The musty smell was unpleasant to the vampire's keen sense of smell, although it was promising. The stench carried with it the smell of death. As Kain grew closer to the source of the smell, the chamber floors became ever more moist and damp, eventually wet enough for small pools of stagnant water to form. The vampire sneered at such obstacles. Hopefully they would not pose anything more than just an inconvenience to him.  
As Kain stepped through a final doorway, the aroma of death overwhelmed his senses. At the far end of the chamber lie a sarcophagus made of a deep black stone. As Kain neared the coffin, he could see the little amount of light reflect of its surface. Running his hands over the smooth stone, he deduced the sarcophagus had been crafted from volcanic rock.  
Pushing the lid off the tomb, Kain gazed inside at the fallen form of Vorador. Like his head, it too had withered over the few years since his murder. To stretch out his torture, Vorador had been impaled by stakes, and those stakes still rested in the vampire's body. Kain set the head above the neck, and then removed the offending objects from the body. Immediately, the body seemed healthier with the removal of the stakes. But there was still much damage to be undone.  
Closing his eyes and concentrating, Kain began to recite an ancient Eldrich spell. It was an enchantment the fledgeling Kain did not possess, but a skill Kain would acquire during his years as a vampire. It was a spell that the vampire lord would use to resurrect six vampiric sons several centuries from now.   
As Kain spoke the words, Vorador's body began to react. His wounds sealed up, the decay reversed, the head reattached itself to its body. With the enchantment complete, Vorador's body was restored. There was but one more step to the process. Taking one of his left talons across his right wrist, Kain created a wound large enough to allow the blood to flow freely. He placed his wrist over Vorador's mouth.  
The blood found its way between the vampire's lips. After several drops fell, the ancient vampire stirred. He weakly opened his mouth, allowing the blood easier access. Kain lowered his wrist further to assist Vorador. The ancient vampire needed less blood than Kain had assumed he would need. Once Vorador was strong enough, he stopped consuming the blood offered to him. He opened his eyes in attempt to discover the being responsible for his resurrection. Seeing Kain, he sat up.  
"I believe I owe you my greatest gratitude," spoke the old vampire. "To whom do I owe my thanks?"  
"I am not the one you should thank," Kain replied. "The vampire Kain is the one you should give your regards. Seek him out and ally yourself with him. The vampire race is in ruins and he shall need your assistance to revive our race."  
Before Vorador could ask the mysterious vampire anymore questions, he vanished. Kain had quickly teleported from the mansion once his mission was successful. He had no wish to complicate things, so he opted to leave Vorador with his questions rather than give him answers that could alter history outside of his choosing. Kain once again teleported himself to the caves of the Oracle. Unsheathing the Soul Reaver, Kain studied it, as if he would not be seeing it again for some time.  
"I have one more task I must complete before meeting up with you once again, Raziel. I hope your travels are unlocking the answers you desire."  
Kain set the dials in the time chamber and stepped into the portal. This time, he would go back in time sixty more years. When he would return, he would no longer have the Soul Reaver with him, having left it in Nosgoth's past where William the Just would discover it and take it up. 


	27. Plans for the Future

Chapter Twenty-Seven  
  
Sitting at the edge of the balcony to Janos's retreat, overlooking the lake below, Jenise sat alone allowing the ancient vampire's tale to sink into her mind. Her shield lay across her lap. Half of her heritage had been revealed to her and the destiny she should have had. However, these revelations left her with even more questions than she had started with.  
"What ails you my child?" the comforting voice of Janos interrupted Jenise's thoughts.  
Jenise sighed heavily before answering. "I'm confused. I know I was destined to protect the guardians, but during my time, there are none. The only guardian remaining is the vampire Kain, and Vorador insists that we protect him, as he is the one Vorador depends on to rid us of the Sarafan Lord."  
"Do not fret child," Janos consoled as he took a seat next to the priestess. "You shall not be cheated of your duties." The vampire gently brushed a strand of hair from Jenise's solemn face, as a father would his daughter. "You remind me so much of her."  
"Who?" Jenise's head snapped up with attention at Janos's unintentional reminiscence.  
"Jenesca, the lieutenant of the human army. You look remarkably like her, aside from your vampiric characteristics and the much longer hair."  
"That's what I also don't understand!" outburst the anguished young woman. "My ancestors where human! Why do I resemble a vampire! Why do I have some of their abilities?"  
The vampire rested his hands gently on the priestess's arms to try to calm her down. "Easy Jenise. I shall tell you. Yes, Jenesca was human, but the father of her child was not. Her beloved, the commander of the vampire army, is from whom you inherit your vampire traits. His name was Lord Rahzel."  
"The similarities in our names seem to be quite the coincidence. Wouldn't you agree, Janos?" Raziel inquired from the doorway behind the seated pair. He had been listening to the conversation, unnoticed by Janos and Jenise.  
Janos grinned all too knowingly. "Indeed it is, Raziel. Indeed it is. You, Raziel, are the reincarnation of the first Reaver bearer, Rahzel. And as such, you are its rightful owner. And just as Raziel has inherited his name from his predecessor, so have you Jenise."  
"I see. How convenient."  
"This is really starting to get complicated," Jenise wearily replied. "Not only do I have to protect you now, Raziel, but you are also my great, great, great, great-"  
"Tell me this Janos, how is it possible for a human and a vampire to produce offspring? During my days as a vampire, vampires were not born. They were created," questioned the reaver of souls.  
"Yes, you're race of vampires could not. But the ancient race is different from that of the new, undead race. The ancient vampires were living, breathing beings like humans are. We are mortal, as they are, though our lives are much longer. We are not so dissimilar to them," explained Janos.  
"-great, great, great, great, great-"  
Raziel pondered this tidbit of information. "So it was possible then. That means in my past life I really was Jenise's..."  
"-great, great, granddad," the priestess finally finished, having not really been paying attention to the latest part of the conversation. Raziel looked sternly down upon her.  
"You are such a child," he scolded her.  
"It's my way of coping," she chided back. Irritated by Raziel's comment, she decided to annoy him further. "So does this mean I can call you 'Daddy' now?"  
"No!"  
"Okay, how about 'Gramps'?"  
"NO!"  
"Then how about-"  
"How about I call you 'lunch' if you don't knock it off!" warned the devourer of souls as he slightly tugged at his cowl.  
Janos sighed deeply with mild frustration. Children... Wanting to push the conversation onward, and to prevent the argument from escalating further, Janos continued his lecture.  
"Jenise, though the shield you hold may seem to be the strongest shield you have ever come across, it is not in its strongest form."  
"What do you mean?" she inquired, her curiosity piqued.  
"That shield is intended to be a shield of the spirit. The forged metal you hold now is only the conduit for which to channel the spirit through. But the shield also has a spirit of its own, and its purpose is to help aid and protect the bearer during battle. However, the spirit must be freed of its confinements, before it will be able to fulfill its role," answered the ancient vampire.  
"So that mean the shield has to be broken?" Raziel wondered aloud.  
"That presumption is correct, Raziel."   
"That's impossible!" exclaimed the priestess. "This shield cannot be broken! It's lasted centuries without wear! Until I was killed, there weren't even any signs of aging! And even since then, this shield will not break!"  
"That is almost true, Jenise. Though the shield has not been broken, as of yet, that does not make it invincible. There is a way to break the bonds that conceal the spirit of the shield, but those methods, I do not know. You will have to discover this on your own."  
"I hope that I figure it out before it's too late," commented Jenise, disappointed with not knowing how she will unlock the shield's true power.  
The trio had eventually moved back inside Janos's mansion. The ancient vampire had left Raziel and Jenise for the time being so that they would be able to reflect upon the mountain of information that had recently been bestowed upon them.  
"So the pillars were built to protect Nosgoth from evil and corruption," Raziel thought out loud, "but with Ariel's murder, the pillars themselves become corrupted."  
"To purify the pillars, new guardians were required. However, new guardians would not be born unless the tainted ones were to die," replied Jenise.  
"And so Kain, after his resurrection as a vampire, was instructed to murder the guardians so that balance would return to Nosgoth and that his vampiric curse would be lifted. But when he discovered that he was the guardian of balance, and being the sole surviving vampire, he opted to refuse sacrificing himself, having developed a contempt for humanity," continued the reaver of souls.  
"Because the pillars are tied directly to Nosgoth, the land has become corrupt as well, thus allowing the Hilden to reemerge in this world. And unless new guardians are born, we cannot cure Nosgoth of its curse and rid ourselves of the Hilden race," the priestess proclaimed.  
"Which means Kain must die," Raziel replied, though he did not sound overjoyed at the prospect. "But I don't think it would work if we killed the Kain of my time. Nosgoth would only heal itself in the far future. And even still, after the millenniums of corruption, it may be too far gone to recover."  
"So you're saying we have to kill Kain at an earlier time," inquired Jenise.  
"Unfortunately. If we were to do that, Nosgoth may be saved, but this would alter future events."  
"How do you mean?"  
"Well, for starters, I would cease to exist. Kain resurrected my brethren and myself. If he were to be killed before that..." the former vampire began to explain before trailing off.  
"What if we were to kill him after he resurrects you?"  
"That might not be a good idea. By then, the Hilden will have ample time for a full scale invasion on Nosgoth," Raziel declined the notion. The pair sat in silent concentration, attempting to find an alternate solution to their predicament.  
"Wait! I think I've come up with an idea!" Jenise cheered as she jumped out of her seat with excitement. Raziel stared at her with anticipation. "You said you were in search of the Heart of Darkness, right?"  
Raziel nodded his confirmation.  
"But you said you were unsure if you were to use it to restore Janos or not, correct?"  
"Yes, get to the point," the reaver of souls replied slightly annoyed. His irritation did not alter Jenise's high spirits, though.  
"What if you were never meant to use it on Janos? What if you were to use it on someone else?"  
Raziel stood up suddenly as he realized what Jenise's implication was. "I think that's a great idea. Though I'm not sure it will work. If not, the worst that will happen is that we'd just end up where we started."  
"Now all we need to do is find the Heart," Jenise devised a plan. "No one knows what happened to it. The Heart disappeared one day several centuries ago. For the longest time, vampire hunters guarded it, concealing it within the Stronghold. That is, until Moebius joined their crusade. He insisted on protecting it until his death. It was discovered missing shortly thereafter."  
"Then we go after Moebius. We will travel to his time and confront him where he cannot escape," proclaimed Raziel with renewed vigor, rising to his feet in determination.  
"Leaving so soon?" Janos's deeply accented voice interjected. Jenise rose to her feet, a slightly sheepish look on her face.  
"We're terribly sorry to leave you so soon. We would have loved to stay longer, but we've just come up with an idea that may save Nosgoth."  
"It's quite alright. I understand," Janos replied as he eyed Jenise. "I was just hoping you would stay long enough to be fitted in better attire."  
Jenise's eyes lit up. "Do you mean new armor?" she excitedly inquired, suddenly feeling very inadequate in the torn pieces of chain mail hanging off her body.  
"Indeed," answered the vampire with a slight nod. A small grin painted on his face. "The offer extends to you as well Raziel." The ancient turned his attention to the reaver of souls, his only 'protection' being tattered remnants of cloth over his forearms and shins, and the ever-present cowl bearing his insignia.  
"Though your intentions mean well, I unfortunately must decline," responded Raziel. "They would be of no use to me should I need to shift to the spectral realm. The physical limitations armor possesses would only cause them to remain behind while I crossed planes."   
Janos gave an understanding nod. "Jenise, you will find that I left armor of various sizes in your bedchamber. Feel free to try them on."  
At the dismissal, Jenise quickly headed towards the room Janos had provided for her the night before. Sprawled out on the bed before her were many different pieces of armor and equipment. Taking a moment to take in the sight, Jenise began to dig through the assortment.  
After Jenise had disappeared from sight, Janos turned his full attention to Raziel. "The battles you are about to face are going to be far more difficult than any you have ever fought before."   
"What do you mean?"  
"The enemies you are about to encounter. If it is true, that the Hilden have returned to Nosgoth, then there are many difficult battles ahead of you. Especially more so now, considering humans have fallen under their guise," explained Janos.  
The vampire's forewarning was interrupted as Jenise returned from her bedchamber, donning new equipment. Janos and Raziel turned to her direction, inspecting her choice of armor. Though she had replaced every other piece of attire she had previously wore, she chose to keep her original chest plate. Janos noticed this immediately.  
"Did you not find a chest plate to your liking, Jenise?" he inquired.  
Jenise looked up to him with her answer. "Not at all. The choices you gave me were excellent in craftsmanship and durability. I just prefer this one. It's my lucky chest plate. It's protected me in many battles."  
Janos nodded his head with approval as he took a better look at Jenise's new armor. She had replaced the tattered cotton and torn chain mail with leather, a much higher quality material. The leather was nearly impossible to cut through. The leather covered her from shoulder to shin, and was form-fitting. Not to tight to restrict movement, but not too loose to get in the way. Matching the leather suit were leather gloves that stopped at the elbow. Her elbows and upper arms were protected by high quality plate mail.  
Jenise had chosen a new pair of boots to wear as well. Like her previous pair, they were crafted of metal, but the new pair was of a better quality. There were also more joints in these boots to allow for better movement. This pair also went up higher, protecting Jenise's shins as well, behind a thick double layer of metal. Knee guards and more plate mail protected the rest of her legs.  
Janos smiled with approval. "That is much better. Your old armor left you vulnerable to attack." The ancient vampire replied as he turned away from Jenise. "I have one more gift for you," he informed as he crossed the room. He opened a large wooden chest at the opposite side of the room. From it, he removed Jenise's shield. As he brought it to her, she noticed that the areas of corrosion and rust had disappeared without a trace.  
As Janos handed Jenise her shield, her eyes widened as she realized she was not imagining things. "But how..." she stuttered to ask how he repaired her shield, but the words never came. Without saying a word, Janos simply winked a response, as if to say it was his own little secret. Raziel approached the pair, his interest also on the shield.  
"I was wondering Janos, the inscriptions on the shield. Are you able to read them?"  
The ancient vampire glanced at Raziel, before turning his attention back at the shield. The reaver of souls waited patiently. Jenise's curiosity had also been piqued, and she too waited silently for the vampire to speak.  
"Yes. I can read this. It was written in the language of the ancient vampires."  
"What does it say?" Jenise urged the vampire. For the longest time she had wondered what the inscription meant, but could find no one who could decipher it until now.  
"These two symbols on the front, though similar, represent different words. The one on the left means 'of the spirit' and the one on the right means 'of the soul'." Janos stated as he turned the shield over to the back, studying the inscription on the attached gauntlet. After a moment, the vampire translated the inscription.  
"The Power of Spirit  
And the Power of Soul  
United Together  
Brings Power Untold"  
Raziel and Jenise remained quiet for a few moments, contemplating the enigmatic words. Unable to discover the caption's meaning on her own, the priestess let out a frustrated sigh.  
"But what does it mean?" she demanded. 


	28. Obstacles

Chapter Twenty-Eight  
  
"The Power of Spirit  
And the Power of Soul  
United Together  
Brings Power Untold"  
Janos spoke the cryptic words from the gauntlet of Jenise's shield. Raziel and the priestess stood silent for several moments attempting to decipher its meaning. Finally, Jenise let out a sigh of frustration.  
"But what does it mean?"  
"Of that, I am not sure," replied the ancient vampire. "I'm afraid you'll have to discover its meaning on your own."  
  
Raziel and Jenise had said their thanks and goodbyes to Janos. As a final gift, Janos had given the two warriors each a horse so that they could travel back to the time streaming chamber, cutting their travel time down from three days to just under a day. The ride was quiet for the most part. Occasionally, the pair would discuss part of what Janos had told them. Other times they would talk about the plan they were about to attempt.  
They quickly traveled through the mountains surrounding Janos's retreat. Uschtenhiem and the plains surrounding the tiny village came and went. The forest south of the village came into view as dusk approached. The sun began to set as they reached the opposite end of the forest, where the dirt road they traveled transformed into the cliff passageway that led to the swamps.  
As they neared the cliffs, Jenise and Raziel slowed their steeds to a trot, and then halted them completely. They dismounted, removed the riding equipment from the horses, and released them. The remaining parts of their journey to the time chamber would have to be done on foot. They entered the cliffs with nightfall, the light enhanced reaver provided visibility along the way.  
Their return trip thus far, had been without incident. This fact and with the fall of night, left Raziel and Jenise feeling confident that they would not encounter any opposing forces during the remainder of the trip. However, rounding a corner in the cliff path, they were caught off guard by a small group of vagabond vampire hunters. They had set camp for the night in an opening in the passage ahead.  
The two warriors ducked back behind the bend to prevent detection. Raziel had unconsciously dispersed the light element within the reaver. He peered around the corner, inspecting the makeshift camp.   
Nine tents circled a small fire, providing warmth to the hunters during the cold night. Two of the hunters sat near the fire, playing a game of cards over a tree stump and laughing over mugs of ale. At the far end of the clearing, where the path narrowed again as it continued, where two hunters guarding the entrance to the chasm.   
Leaning around the bend a little more, Raziel could barely see two more hunters guarding this side of the camp. The rocky walls obscured his full view of these two. The reaver of souls brought his attention back to the tents. He could not deduce how many more hunters there were concealed within the campsite. Though not completely satisfied with his inspection, Raziel turned back behind the rock wall.  
"How many are there?" Jenise asked in a barely audible whisper.  
"I could only see six, but there are definitely more within those tents," replied the vampire wraith.  
"What are we to do?"  
Raziel reguarded his companion's expression of uncertainty. "I could slip by this camp undetected by crossing over to the spectral realm. However, this does no good to you," Raziel said, dismissing the possibility. Jenise 'hmphed' at Raziel, though he took no notice. She was slightly annoyed at the statement which, though intentional or not, pointed out her hindrance of Raziel's progress.  
"Granted I can't pass into the spectral plane, but I can blend in as a normal human much better than you," the priestess retorted. "I'll just pose as a passerby."  
"A passerby donned from head to toe in armor?" questioned Raziel, voice dripping with skepticism.   
"What's wrong with that? A lady out in the middle of the night needs some sort of protection."  
"A lady out in the middle of the night, alone, wearing armor...it'll raise too many questions. Besides, these are brigands, vigilantes. They know no honor code. They are not like the Sarafan order you are used to, filled with rules and laws. Groups such as these get their kicks from pointlessly murdering vampires, claiming righteousness. When in reality, their anti-vampire crusade is just a façade to take advantage of poorly protected villagers, ripping them off of their food and valuables in exchange for their services. In their eyes, you are easy game," warned the former vampire.  
Jenise glared at her companion's remarks. "First off, just because I am a lady does not make me 'easy game'. I have trained nearly my entire life to become one of the best warriors of my time," the priestess argued, her voice rising with each word. "Second, it is obvious you remember little of your experience as a Sarafan. But I remember mine clearly. The so-called 'honor' you claim the Sarafan to possess is equivalent to the righteousness of the vampire hunters over there. Had the Sarafan had any honor, they would not have so willingly murdered the villagers of Nochton!"  
Angered by her outburst, Raziel raised the wraith blade threateningly and advanced towards the priestess, causing her to back up against the chasm wall. "Do NOT try my patience," he growled, his eyes narrow. Though backed into a corner, and very much at Raziel's mercy, she was still defiant and returned Raziel's glare. She opened her mouth to speak, but it was not her voice that was heard.  
"Who goes there?"  
To Raziel and Jenise's horror, the hunters who had been guarding the campsite just around the bend had been alerted to their presence during the shouting match. In the heated argument, both warriors had forgotten about the more important issue at hand. The two vampire hunters slowly rounded the bend, weapons drawn as a precaution. As they came into view, they were shocked by the apparent 'damsel in distress' situation.  
"Unhand her at once vile creature!" ordered the first of the hunters. Jenise and Raziel momentarily exchanged confused looks, seeming to ask the other what to do. The reaver of souls backed away from the priestess for reasons even he did not know. As he did so, the hunters came between he and Jenise, protecting her from her attacker. Shock at the sudden turn of events was still evident on Raziel's face.  
"Surrender, fiend, and we shall give you a quick death!" called out the second hunter. Before Raziel could respond to the threat, the sick sound of metal through flesh filled the air. The first hunter clutched at the end of the sword protruding from his torso. With a final agonizing gasp for air, he collapsed to the ground. Jenise wretched her weapon from the corpse as the second hunter turned to take in the gruesome sight, horror and betrayal etched on his face.  
Attempting to recollect himself, the hunter turned on Jenise, who moments ago he was so willing to protect. Before he could manage an attack, he was found on the deadly end of Raziel's wraith blade. Not even having the smallest chance at survival, the hunter's lifeless body joined his comrade's on the cold, bloodstained ground. Raziel and Jenise took a quiet moment to ensure the defeat of the pair of hunters. Simultaneously, the warriors raised their eyes from the carnage, meeting each other's gaze.  
"Shall we continue our discussion later?" came the almost rude suggestion from the former vampire. Without putting up and argument, Jenise nodded in agreement.   
Peeking back around the bend, Raziel could see the two guards from the opposite end of the campsite approaching. Obviously they had noticed their allies' absence.  
"Be ready," Raziel instructed Jenise as he crouched in a battle ready stance. Jenise obeyed, raising her weapon, preparing to strike.  
"Mathew? Geoffrey? Where hast thou gone?" came the voice of one of the hunters. His voice indicated that his location was just around the bend. As they approached, they caught site of the pool of blood. With the overriding instinct to aid their fallen comrades, the hunters rushed around the corner. In their haste, they carelessly forgot to check the area before approaching. Had they done so, they would have seen the coming attack.  
As the hunters rounded the bend, Raziel and Jenise pounced on them, viciously attacking the unsuspecting warriors. Fortunately for them, their deaths came quickly. The time travelers peered around the corner once again. The campsite was now silent; the two drunken hunters who had been busy playing cards a moment ago were now passed out. Any other hunters who may have been in the campsite were still sound asleep inside their tents.  
Taking advantage of the situation, Jenise and Raziel stealthily crept through the campsite so as not to disturb the dormant hunters. After several minutes of silent suspense, the duo successfully crossed the campsite without further incident. They remained quiet after they left the area to ensure they did not wake the hunters. However, the silence continued long after the campsite was far behind them. It was not until the bogs of the poison swamp came into view, that either spoke.  
"Jenise, before we continue, there's something I need to get off my chest," the reaver of souls broke the silence. Jenise stopped her trek, and turned her attention to her companion. "Obviously, there is something that has been plaguing you for some time now. You've made it clear that you suspect I may feel that you are a hindrance."  
"Well, it is true, isn't it?"  
Raziel replied with an empty chuckle. "I actually don't see you that way. The only thing you may not be able to do that I can is cross between realms. In truth, I don't think I would have gotten this far without your assistance."  
"I'm sorry I snapped at you like I did," Jenise apologized, her eyes dropping to the ground. "I guess I'm just under a lot of stress. All the pressure that is now on us is really getting to me."  
"We'll just take it one step at a time. We're almost at the time streaming chamber. And in only a matter of a few short hours, we'll be encountering Moebius where he won't have any chance to escape."  
Jenise gave Raziel a weak smile, indicating that the matter was settled, though a trace of guilt remained within the priestess's conscious. They continued onward through the final leg of the return trip to the streaming device. After entering the chamber deep below ground level, Raziel instructed Jenise to set the dials to five hundred sixty years in the future. With the help of the brief tutoring Janos had given her during her stay at the aerie, Jenise was able to set the dials to a specific time. And the time she chose was just before Moebius's execution. When the dials were set, Raziel and Jenise activated the device and were whisked away to their destination. 


	29. The Water Forge

Chapter Twenty-Nine  
  
"Hurry, we've only got a few hours before Kain kills Moebius!" shouted the reaver of souls over his shoulder to the priestess on his heals.  
Panting, Jenise called back to him, "I'm running as fast as I can!"  
"You should have set the dials a day earlier in time."  
"I set it to when you wanted me to!"  
"Look! The pillars are up ahead! We're almost at the stronghold!" encouraged Raziel.  
After emerging from the time streaming chamber in the poison swamps of Nosgoth, Jenise and Raziel began the trek to the stronghold. Along the way, they had overheard a conversation between a few vampire hunters, who were unaware to the time travelers' presence. What Raziel and Jenise overheard came as a shock: the rumor that was circulating was that a rogue vampire had been single-handedly murdering the pillar guardians of Nosgoth and that said vampire was headed towards Moebius's stronghold at that very moment, though from which direction was unknown. Hearing this, the urgency of arriving at the stronghold quickly became evidently clear. If they did not arrive before Moebuis's death, then they may not find the Heart of Darkness.  
The duo crossed the open field containing the pillars of Nosgoth. Had they more time; Jenise would have stopped to marvel at the pillars. Though already corrupted, they were not in as near a state of decay that she was witness to during her time. Exiting through the gate doors, Raziel and Jenise came to the pathway serving as the route to the stronghold.   
Along their way, Jenise made a realization, "It's odd...we haven't encountered any vampire hunters other than the two we saw earlier."  
"I've noticed too," added Raziel, "and as much as I find them a nuisance to fight, I don't like the feeling I'm getting from their absence."  
Rounding the last corner, the cliff overlooking the lake came into view. The view they saw was completely unexpected by Raziel. The cliff they knew which stood tall over the lake was now only a mere few feet to the surface of the water. Apparently, the lake had flooded during the springtime thaw. The lake level was twice as high and the distance across the lake had grown threefold.  
Raziel's eyes carefully scanned across the inaccessible edifice. The giant double doors, which had previously served as his entrance to the stronghold, were almost completely submerged in water. There was no way the doors would budge against the increased pressure. And even if they could budge, opening them might flood the inside of the stronghold. That is, if the inside wasn't flooded in water already.   
So, the mystery of the missing vampire hunters had been explained: with no way for vampires to breach the stronghold from this side, then there be no need for anyone to guard this area.  
"We're going to have to find another way in," Raziel pointed out after realizing there was no other entry on this side of the stronghold.  
"How are we going to do that?"  
"We'll have to go around. Obviously Kain can't get through this way either, so there has to be another way in."  
The warriors decided to back track, searching for an alternate route in the mountains that may have been overlooked before. After a few minutes, they came across the overflowing stream that crossed the road.  
"Do you think if we followed this stream we'll find another way to the stronghold?" the priestess asked as she approached the bank.  
"Yes. This stream must lead to the stronghold. The lake surrounding the keep is the lowest point in these mountains. The stream must flow into it."  
With Raziel's affirmation, they began following the channel downstream. As they continued, the mountains around them closed in, tightly hugging the stream. With the excess water, the banks were flooded over slightly, and the warriors found themselves treading through ice-cold water up to their knees.   
The stream seemed to twist and turn more so than the road they had abandoned only moments before. Eventually, the riverbed began to slope downhill, and as it did, Raziel and Jenise came across a twenty-foot tall waterfall. Standing at the top, the duo looked downward for some means to overcome the obstacle. Off to the right, and about halfway down, there was a ledge.  
Pointing at said ledge, Raziel inquired loudly over the noise of the waterfall, "Do you think you can reach that ledge if you jump?"  
Jenise took a moment to judge the distance between herself and the ledge. Ten feet down, but thirty feet away. If it had been a little closer, she was confident she could make the jump. But at that distance, and the poor footing on the slippery rocks beneath her feet, she was very uncertain. Seeing the look of doubt in Jenise's eyes, Raziel offered a solution.  
"Grab onto my back, and I'll carry us both to the ledge."  
"Are you sure you can jump that far?" Doubt was still etched on the priestess's face.  
"Trust me."  
Jenise seemed almost reluctant when she grabbed hold of Raziel's back. Crouching down, the former vampire crept up to the edge of the waterfall.  
"Ready?" he asked before committing himself to the leap.  
"Ready," Jenise replied warily as she clung tighter to the reaver's back. The sight of the jagged rocks below did not look too pleasant.  
From the crouched position, Raziel pushed upwards with his legs, sending the pair straight up into the air to gain some much needed height for the descent. When he reached the pinnacle of his jump, Raziel outstretched his wings, and the duo slowly glided towards the cliff.  
With the gentleness of the descent, Jenise ventured to open her clenched eyes. As she did so, she peered over Raziel's shoulder and watched as the ledge drew ever closer. However, her previous doubt manifested into horror as a realization hit her.  
"We're not going to make it!"  
"Don't worry! We'll make it!" Raziel tried to sound confident. But the truth of the matter was, that when he made his judgment on the jump, he forgot to account for Jenise's added weight. Alone, the reaver of souls would have easily landed on his target with several feet to spare. Now that there was the weight of two pulling on his wings, he was uncertain of the outcome.  
Jenise watched as the top of the ledge came near before it disappeared as they descended below the edge. The priestess clenched her eyes shut, waiting for the impending danger of the rocks below to hit her. When she felt a sudden stop, she reopened her eyes, slowly but curiously.  
"I can't hold us forever. Hurry and climb up," Raziel instructed Jenise, a bit of desperation in his voice.  
Jenise looked up to see that Raziel had caught hold of the edge at the last moment. Without having to be told twice, the priestess climbed up Raziel's back and pulled herself onto the ledge. As soon as she was off his back, the vampire wraith pulled himself up as well, though with greater ease than his counterpart.   
The duo walked along the ledge to the other side, where below was solid ground. Raziel confidently leapt down, whereas Jenise did a hang-drop to the bottom. They walked up to the riverbank, where it wasn't nearly as rocky as below the waterfall. They took a moment to examine the stream. Just below the waterfall, a pool of water had formed before it flowed off to the opposite of the ledge the pair had previously landed on.  
As Raziel and Jenise rounded the pool of water, the former vampire stopped in his tracks. After a few steps, the priestess noticed his absence at her side and stopped as well. Looking back at Raziel, she found him staring at the waterfall, a look of bewilderment on her face.  
"What is it?" she inquired.  
"Do you...Do you see that?" he asked, pointing at the waterfall. Jenise gazed at the object of Raziel's attention for several moments.  
"What do you see?"  
"Stay here a moment," the former vampire instructed as he leapt into the pool of water. All Jenise could do was watch with a confused expression, as he crossed the forty-or-so-foot pool. As he approached the waterfall, Raziel looked back a moment to Jenise. She remained in place, still confused. Raziel then turned his attention back to the waterfall, where he disappeared behind it.  
"Just great," Jenise muttered to herself irritably. "We come all this way and now he decides to go off on a little adventure. It's not like we don't have anything more important to do right now."  
As Jenise was complaining to herself, Raziel climbed behind the waterfall into the small chasm hidden behind it. Standing in front of him, was another set of the double doors with the unmistakable picture of the ancient vampire etched on its surface. Above the door, there was a new elemental symbol. This symbol was a picture of a circle. From the top and bottom points in the circle, a curving line was etched in the stone, out and around the circle of the design. The lines came back towards the center with a small spiral at the end, meeting with the base of the opposite line. **  
Eager to discover the secrets within, Raziel used the wraith blade to open the doors. After stepping into the finely crafted corridor, the doors behind him slid shut. On the reverse side of the doors, was the same symbol Raziel had seen moments ago. Obviously, he'd have to find the new element in order to open the doors once again.   
Raziel walked down the corridor, and as he turned the corner to the left, he came across a small pool of water. Looking down into the clear liquid, he noticed that the pool was in actuality, a flooded tunnel. Jumping in, he swam through the underwater passage. After several minutes, he emerged from the water and found himself in the southwestern corner a hollowed out section of mountain. Apparently, by the consistent use of hollowed out mountains, the ancients preferred to use such geological formations for their architecture.  
Raziel crossed the open area and noticed on the ground in the center of the marble floor, was the forge. A recess in the floor surrounded the forge. From each direction led empty channels. Raziel followed the channel in front of him with his eyes. When it met with the far wall, the channel had been carved into the wall, continuing upward at a steep angle. The other three channels where built this way as well.  
Curious as to what lie above, the former vampire approached the carved out section of wall. He noted that the channel was too narrow and steep to climb. Determined to find a way to the top, he spotted the symbol of the spectral realm on the wall, and shifted planes. Doing so caused ledges to emerge from the walls of the structure, enabling Raziel to climb to the top. Once there, he located a conduit, and returned to the physical realm.  
At the top of each wall, the channels continued and led to giant fountains of water. Each fountain was a perfect circle made of stone. The center was a design made of stone, where water would spray out. However, these fountains had been frozen over by the recent winter months, and the high altitude had not allowed them to thaw as of yet.   
Raziel realized that he would have to thaw each of the fountains in order to activate the forge below. But first he had to locate a fire font for which to re-imbue the wraith blade.  
The former vampire leapt back down to the ground below. Carefully inspecting the chasm, he noticed a block in the southwestern corner that seemed different from the rest. Going over to the block, Raziel dug his talons into its surface. With a mighty tug, he pulled the block out of its place.   
To Raziel's dismay, immoveable bars blocked the pathway he had revealed. Again switching realms, Raziel passed through the bars and continued down the winding tunnel. Eventually, he came across another conduit, and returned to the material world. A few turns later, and the former vampire found the font he had been searching for. Placing the wraith blade over the font, the element of fire was drawn from its basin. The blade consumed every last essence of the element before it relinquished its hold over Raziel.  
Satisfied, the vampire wraith turned back towards the main chamber, shifting to the spirit realm and phasing through the bars. He climbed the ledges along the north wall once again. When he shifted to the material plane, he summoned the fire reaver, and searched the fountain for a place to insert the imbued blade.   
On the backside of the fountain, Raziel found the symbol of fire, and inserted the reaver. With the added heat, the ice within the fountain began to crack, and then shattered as it instantly thawed. The fountain came to life, water sprayed into the air before coming back down and into the basin surrounding the spout.   
After a few moments of being active, the water level in the basin began to rise until it reached the lip of its stone confines. The edge of the stone over the channel was slightly lower than the rest, which allowed for the water to flow freely from the fountain. The liquid spilled into the channel and followed its course down the incline in the wall and towards the forge. Once there, it filled part of the stone recess surrounding the forge.  
With the north fountain complete, Raziel set out to repeat the process for the south, east, and west fountains. Each time, the water level within the stone recess would rise a little more. As the water from the forth fountain reached its destination, the forge activated with a tremendous rumble.   
The water within the recess seemed to come to life, willing itself into spires of water and cascading downwards into the center of the forge. The forge began to vibrate as the blue aura of the elemental energy pulsed from the center of the forge.   
Raziel strode over to it, knowing exactly what to do. He thrust the reaver into the font, allowing it to take control. Raziel was pulled skyward as the wraith blade absorbed all the energy the forge had to offer. Once sated, the reaver subsided and Raziel landed on the ground once again. With all the energy sapped from the forge, the fountains on the far sides of the area grew silent once again. Mission complete, Raziel headed for the exit to meet back up with Jenise.  
**   
  
Can't quite picture what the new symbol looks like? Go to www.thelostworlds.net . There, you'll find illustrations for Crystal Dynamic's symbols for the earth, water and spirit forges. 


	30. Building Bridges, Burning Hatred

Chapter Thirty  
  
"Stupid blue demon. Who does he think he is, anyway? Leaves me here without telling me where he's going," Jenise cursed under her breath. She picked up another flat rock and threw it as hard as she could across the pond. "For all I know Kain could be killing Moebius as I speak, and HE doesn't even care," she growled as she watched the stone skip a few times across the water.   
Spotting another flat stone, she bent down to pick it up. The stone she previously threw continued to bounce on its way, until colliding into the shin of an onlooker.  
"What was that for? That really hurt, you know," came Raziel's all too familiar voice. Jenise's head shot up in his direction. He was still rubbing his shin where the rock had struck him. "I don't have any skin to protect my shins anymore, you know."  
"Where the hell have you been?" demanded the priestess, obviously giving no sympathy towards Raziel's 'injury'.  
"There was an elemental forge hidden behind this waterfall. I've obtained the element of water," the reaver proclaimed as he held the wraith blade up for Jenise to see. The wraith blade was now an aqua color. The blade seemed to mimic liquid, as its energy appeared to flow within the blade like currents of water.  
"How fascinating," Jenise replied nonchalantly, feigning disinterest, before continuing to scold Raziel. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to go off looking for another forge? You DO know we have a certain heart we have to find before a certain vampire kills a certain guardian of time?"  
"Aw, did someone miss me?" Raziel couldn't resist adding fuel to the fire. Like he knew would happen, the comment only angered Jenise further.  
"I'll have you know, that while you were off, fooling around, that Kain went striding by here on his way to kill Moebius!"  
"What! He came through here? And you didn't stop him?" Raziel's mood immediately changed from jest to shock. Grabbing Jenise's wrist and starting to run, he exclaimed, "We have to hurry!"  
Pulling her arm from Raziel's grasp, Jenise reassured the former vampire, "Relax! I was lying. He didn't really pass by. Although there WAS a good possibility that he could have."  
Hearing this, Raziel stopped in his tracks. "He didn't?"  
"No. Of course not! If he had, either he or I would be a corpse right now."  
Raziel let out a sigh of relief. "Why did you have to go and scare me like that for?"  
"It serves you right...for abandoning me and for teasing me."  
"All right! I get the point! I shouldn't have left you alone...and defenseless," Raziel replied, getting a side-glance to see Jenise's angry disposition. Before she could give a rebuttal, he added, "Let's go already!"  
Too angry to argue, Jenise followed Raziel as he continued downstream. As they traveled, other streams emptied into the one they were following, eventually causing it to swell to the size of a small river. After a few more last turns, the duo found themselves at the top of a wide, but short waterfall, flowing into the flooded lake on the opposite side of the Stronghold. Jenise stared down the ten feet to the surface of the water in disappointment.  
"Great, this side is flooded too," the priestess stated, most of her previous anger had, by now, subsided.  
"Yes, but on this side, there is a balcony that we can enter through. Over there," the vampire wraith pointed a bony talon at the center of the stronghold. Jenise strained to see the tiny opening in the massive edifice. Sure enough, as Raziel had said, there was indeed a balcony, though it was about ten feet above the surface of the water.  
"Well, how are we supposed to reach it? Even if we swam over to it, it's too high to jump to, and there is nothing we can climb on to get to it!" she inquired. Stepping back from the edge of the waterfall, her heal collided with a very solid stone, nearly causing her to fall backwards onto her rear. "Stupid rock!" she cursed at the object of her offense before noticing something strange about it.   
"Hey, Raziel. What do you suppose this is?" she asked as she dipped her hands into the cold water, brushing off some of the smaller pebbles from the large rock she had nearly tripped over. At her question, the reaver of souls turned his attention from the lake to Jenise. As she removed the debris from the rock, Raziel's eyes grew wide with instant recognition.  
"That rock! It holds the symbol of the water element!"  
Raziel moved next to the symbol, staring at it in disbelief that it was there the entire time and he hadn't noticed. Jenise looked up at him expectantly. With the water-enhanced blade, Raziel plunged it into the symbol. Suddenly, the flow of water around them seemed to act freely against the will of gravity. As the water reached the cliff of the rock, it did not fall down into the lake below. Instead, it continued to flow across the air, as if there was a riverbed below it, supporting its movement.  
The flow of water twisted and turned in its path as it snaked its way over to the balcony. As it came within arm's reach of the platform, if finally gave in to gravity, where it fell into the lake below. When Jenise and Raziel expected the effect of the symbol to be complete, they were surprised when even more changes occurred. Starting from the symbol, and working its way towards the balcony, the water instantaneously changed over to ice, despite the warm spring air.  
As the far end of the new ice-bridge solidified, Raziel withdrew the wraith blade from the symbol. He stepped out onto the crystalline structure, testing it for strength. Confident, he turned back to Jenise and gave her a look, as if to say, 'It's safe.' The priestess followed her companion's footsteps, and walked out onto the bridge. She stared down at the surface of the ice and saw perfectly her own reflection.  
"Let's go. We don't know how long this bridge will remain," Raziel calmly stated, pulling her out of her stupor. They made good time across the bridge, neither falling on the ice along the way. As they reached the bridge's edge, they leaped to the balcony and into the stronghold. On secure ground, Jenise turned back to the ice bridge they had just crossed. Slowly, the ice began to melt and fall into the lake below until the bridge had completely dissolved.  
The duo descended the long spiraling staircase down to the first floor of the circular chamber. With each step, Jenise noticed how Raziel seemed ever more reluctant to continue. At long last, they reached the bottom of the ridiculously long staircase, and emerged in the room. Jenise's eyes grew wide with awe at witnessing this sacred room before time had destroyed it.  
She moved from painting to painting, taking in the images of the fallen Sarafan priests. But as Jenise gazed at each picture, her awe, wonder and respect for the priests waned. For in each image, the 'nobility' of the priests was clearly shown, as each warrior was shown killing a vampire in his own way.   
Under previous circumstances, Jenise may have felt full of pride, having followed in the footsteps of these righteous historical icons. But now, knowing her true identity, she was filled with disgust and hatred. Not only at these images and their beholders, but at herself as well. Her hands were no cleaner than theirs. And even worse, she was guilty of killing her own kind, human and vampire.  
Finally, she came upon the lone statue in the room. She had never seen this statue before. It had been destroyed some time during the history of the stronghold. The statue depicted a priest for whom a painting was deemed unworthy. The lettering etched into the pedestal below this priest's feet read 'Raziel.' The current version of said person stood silently at the base of the finely crafted monument.  
Jenise walked up beside Raziel, still staring at the stone likeness of the former Sarafan. She turned her gaze to her left, and looking into Raziel's eyes, she could see the deep pain that still lingered there. Witnessing her companion's own anguish, her own self-hatred had been momentarily forgotten.   
Raziel had told her his entire story up until the point they met. How he had so anxiously awaited for the encounter with Janos Audron, and upon finally meeting the ancient vampire did he realize he had unknowingly provided the Sarafan access to their long time prey.   
Janos, who had waited centuries for Raziel, saved the vampire wraith from the destructive forces of the Sarafan. Powerless, Raziel could only look on while the Sarafan subdued the vampire with Moebius's staff, while it was his former Sarafan self tore the heart from Janos's still living body.  
As if feeding off its symbiotic twin's anger, the wraith blade swirled to life, sparking with electricity as it gained in power. Suddenly, in an extreme act of self-hatred, Raziel lashed out at the statue of his former self with the wraith blade. At the last moment before impact, the blade switched elements on its own accord, changing from water to earth. Water would have no effect on the stone, but earth would provide a more devastating outcome.  
As the blade connected with the statue, the stone disintegrated in a tiny explosion, sending pieces of marble flying in all directions. Jenise shielded her eyes from the debris with her arms. Raziel continued to vent his anger, swinging the blade several more times at the remnants of the statue. Finally, Raziel overexerted himself, and turned away from the statue to lean against a stone column while he caught his breath.  
Jenise lowered her arms when she no longer heard the sound of stone breaking. She looked up to where the statue had once been. As the dust settled, all that was left of the glory of the former monument was a pile of rubble. Only the name on the pedestal had survived. Jenise turned her head towards Raziel. A questioning look was on her face, though she was too shocked to speak what was on her mind. She had never witnessed Raziel lash out in such a way before.  
After a few moments of silence, Raziel rose to a full standing position. Turning to Jenise, he instructed a simple, "Let's go." Jenise silently obeyed, not wanting to oppose the reaver of souls after the display of his destructive power. They left the sanctum of the priests and continued through the stronghold, determined to confront Moebius.  
Several moments after the warriors departed the chamber, an almost unnoticeable disturbance echoed throughout the room. A shadowed creature, similar in form to a bat, fluttered in from the balcony above and descended to the ground below. The creature seemed to gather itself, before transforming into the figure of a man. He rose to his full height, and took in the sight before him.  
"So this is the stronghold wherein lies the remains of King William," sneered the being, disgust at the spoken name eminent in his voice. "The stronghold that once housed the Sarafan priests," he spoke as he cast his eyes over the images on the walls surrounding him and finally the crumbled ruins of the once magnificent statue before him.   
Taking particular interest in the state of ruin, he strode up to the pedestal that once supported the carved stone. Kneeling down, he used a clawed hand to wipe the dust from the inscription. Satisfied with his work, he rose to his feet and took a step back. Aloud, he read the single word, "Raziel."  
With more important matters at hand, the being turned towards the exit, thoughts of his next task on his mind. The anticipated joy of avenging himself for the wrongs committed against him, a sardonic laugh escaped his lips. A laugh that no other could mistake. A laugh that belonged to only Kain himself.  
  
************  
MikotoTribal: There it is guys. Chapter thirty. I can't believe I've gotten this far already. Anyway, this chapter catches me up to my MediaMiner.org chapters, so my updates may come a little slower from here on out. I actually prefer my FanFiction.net submissions, as I have gone through and edited for mistakes before posting.  
Jenise: Hey, Mikoto, hurry up and get to the point, will ya?  
Raziel: Yeah, hurry up! (pokes Mikoto with the wraith blade)   
MikotoTribal: (rubbing her back) Ow! Alright already! With this chapter finished, I would like to thank Lilith and Concept of a Demon, who have been my continuously faithful readers AND reviewers. A thanks also goes to Colleen for her review. Everyone else who has been reading, but has not been reviewing...(sniff) you've really hurt my feelings. Now I won't let any of you NON reviewers read my story anymore.  
Jenise: But Mikoto, if you don't let them read it, then they definitely won't review.  
MikotoTribal: (sob) I don't care...(wail)  
Raziel: (clutching his ears) I HATE hearing girls cry! If she cries anymore because you people aren't reviewing, I'll jump out of your computer screens and REAVE YOUR SOULS MYSELF! Got it?  
MikotoTribal: (sniff) You'd really do that for me?  
Raziel: (grumbles incoherently and walks away)  
MikotoTribal: (sincerely, to Jenise) He's so nice.  
Jenise: (rolling her eyes) Whatever. 


	31. The Heart of Darkness

Chapter Thirty-One  
  
Raziel and Jenise made their way through the Stronghold quickly, but carefully. The large, empty corridors echoed with the sounds of their footsteps. But that was what worried the duo the most: the lack of occupants within the stronghold.   
Recalling Nosgoth's history, the vampire race was near extinction during this time. Vorador had already been slain, and only the fledge Kain remained. This had all been the result of Moebius's carefully orchestrated plan. With the scourge of Nosgoth at the edge of obliteration, humanity had begun to relax after millenniums of fear and war. Thus was the reason for lack of protection within the stronghold.  
As the time streaming warriors proceeded through the long hallways, a growing urgency seemed to consume Raziel. Jenise noticed his quickened steps, and the almost worried look in his eyes. That was when she felt it: a strong presence was inside the stronghold with them, and it was not far behind them. She released a small gasp as she realized to whom this presence must belong.  
"You feel it too?" Raziel asked for a confirmation, having noticed the priestess's sudden shock. She nodded to him as she exerted herself to her max. They needed as much time as they could muster before the vampire behind them fulfilled another chapter of his destiny. Without speaking another word, they continued on their way.  
At long last, they arrived at the outside of Moebius's chambers. With a mighty heave, Raziel opened the doorway to the sorcerer's main chamber room. To the left and right side, were the time streaming chambers. The former vampire and the former Sarafan entered the main chamber, looking around. After making a quick assessment of the room, Jenise stopped in the center of the chamber.  
"I thought you said he'd be here," the priestess inquired of her ally. Raziel continued to look about the room, confusion on his face.  
"I don't understand. This is where he should be. Kain told me the story at least a dozen times of when he murdered Moebius."  
Without warning, a hidden doorway opposite the main entrance of the chamber began to open slowly. Jenise and Raziel quickly hid themselves behind a few support columns. As the door opened, the form of the guardian of time was revealed. With him, were three vampire hunters, fully armed. As they entered the main chamber room, Moebius's voice could be heard giving the soldiers instructions.  
"As you have most likely heard by now, there is still a rogue vampire wreaking havoc across Nosgoth, killing the pillar guardians. I know, that I am his next intended target. Now I don't expect to give myself willingly to the hands of that monster. Such is the reason for erecting the barrier around the Stronghold. By using my power to raise the lake's water level, that vampire cannot gain entry, since the touch of water is deadly to a vampire."  
"Milord, but what if this vampire does find a way in? What then?" one of Moebius's subordinates asked.  
"That is where you three come in. I want you to gather as many hunters possible and place them at every gate along the way to my chamber. Kain will come looking for me. So be sure to not let him pass. Tell the men that I shall bestow a great reward upon the one who brings me Kain's head."  
The three hunters nodded as they turned and left the chamber. Once they were out of sight, a sinister grin spread across Moebius's lips. The time streamer was aware of the events about to unfold. He knew that he was sending his men to their deaths. He had foreseen this day decades ago.  
The sorcerer turned to return to the previously hidden room. After he had disappeared within, Jenise and Raziel came out of hiding. Strangely, Moebius did not close the door to its previous position. The two warriors exchanged a paranoid glance. The door, when closed, was perfectly camouflaged with its surroundings. Leaving it open was good indication that Moebius was already aware of the duo's arrival.  
Deciding not to waste another moment, Raziel and Jenise stepped through the doorway and into Moebius's private chamber. There, they saw him with his back to them, seeming not in the least bit worried about their arrival. In front of him, stood a pedestal, on which stood a container holding water. In the water's reflection, Moebius was watching the current images of his loyal followers throwing their lives into the path of Kain's destruction.  
"You have eluded us long enough, Mobius," spoke Raziel, breaking the silence. "Hand over the Heart, or I shall kill you and take it myself."   
Moebius turned to face the Reaver, snickering as he did so. He seemed not at all surprised by Raziel's presence. The reflections in the water dispersed as he turned his attention away from it.   
"Kill me? I think not my dear Raziel. I know when my time will come. Your threats are empty to me. Your meddling cannot change what destiny, or fate in your case, has written for us." Suddenly, the door slammed shut, as if commanded to do so by Moebius.  
"You are not getting away this time Moebius," threatened Raziel as he raised his wraith blade. Moebius simply conjured the magical element within his staff to dismiss Raziel's weapon. Raziel stared at his right arm, devoid of the wraith blade for the first time since reclaiming it from its physical twin. Until now, he was unable to dismiss his symbiotic weapon.  
"That's an interesting little trick, time streamer," Jenise interrupted, her voice full of malice. "But will it protect you from this?" she sneered as she unsheathed her sword, stepping closer to her victim. Moebius laughed at her threats, though he subconsciously stepped backwards a few paces.  
"You are not my un-maker, Priestess," he replied, but unconvincingly. Jenise stepped within striking range, and raised her weapon up over her head. As she brought her sword down to strike, Moebius held his staff up in front of him in a defensive instinct, his eyes clenched tight in fear.   
The sword crashed down on the orb within the staff. Moebius opened his eyes after the assault and inspected the orb curiously. A hairline fracture encompassed the orb. Jenise remained in an offensive position, waiting for Moebius's next move. The time streamer began to grin, believing that the priestess's attacks where futile. But before he could open his mouth to taunt her, his worst fear came true.  
The orb within the staff began to crack even further. Spider-web like patterns spread across the surface of the orb. Finally, when the orb had fractured to the point where it could no longer hold itself together, it shattered. To the ground fell the broken pieces of the orb. It was now the priestess's turn to grin maliciously.  
"Looks like your little toy is of no use to you against me," she sneered. To her surprise, Moebius laughed with her.  
"Fate is simply unfolding itself. My time is near its end. All you have accomplished is fulfilling another piece in fate's plan," informed the time guardian. Before Raziel or Jenise could reply, the doors to the chamber burst open again.  
"My lord! The vampire Kain approaches! Quick! We must hide ye and the Heart!" a Sarafan knight called out.   
Of the current occupants within the stronghold, this knight was one of the few during this era that could use the name Sarafan. After the bloody massacre centuries ago, and with the dwindling vampire population, very few chose to undergo the vigorous training to become one of the most respected nobles in Nosgoth's human society.  
"Do not worry. Kain will not find the Heart of Darkness," reassured Moebius. "Go and gather our troops together. Do not let him enter."  
Once the knight had departed, Moebius turned his attention from the doorway to where his 'guests' had been only moments ago. He searched the room with his eyes, trying to find the whereabouts of the room's other occupants. But before he could find either Raziel or Jenise, screams of horrid pain filled the time streamer's ears. The guardian knew that Kain was now laying waste to the last of Moebius's defenses, just outside the chamber door.  
With the conclusion of the last scream of agony, the door to Moebius's inner chamber was kicked inward off its hinges. Slowly, the fledgeling Kain strode into the chamber, seeming to take delight in what was to come.  
From high on one of the rafters in the room, hidden in shadow, Raziel and Jenise watched the event unfold. Kain mercilessly murdered Moebius, and without the aide of his staff, the sorcerer was defenseless. Raziel watched intently at the event in history. Though Kain had indeed retold this story several times to Raziel while he was a fledge, he never imagined the brutality was quite like what he was witnessing now.  
As Moebius breathed his last breath, Raziel almost felt a twinge of sympathy for the streamer. Almost, if it had not been for the ploys the guardian had sent Raziel through.  
The reaver of souls supposed that only Moebius deserved a death this gruesome. As Moebius's last breath escaped his lips, Kain headed towards the exit. He paused momentarily to make a final glance around the room, and then he finally departed.  
With Kain finally gone, Raziel turned his attention towards Jenise, to see how she fared after having to witness such a brutal attack. When he looked into the priestess's eyes, he became slightly nervous. Raziel recognized the look in her eyes to be the same as when she had nearly attacked him, and when she had fought against Stephin.   
The priestess gazed unblinkingly at the corpse of the former guardian. She seemed to be entranced by the murderous act. Nervously, Raziel attempted to rouse Jenise from her stupor.  
"Jenise. Jenise, Kain is gone. We have to search for the Heart of Darkness now," he gently urged her, trying not to startle her into an unintentional attack. Fortunately, it seemed to work. The priestess slowly blinked once. She blinked a second time; this time she slightly shook her head, as she seemed to rid herself of her self-induced trance.  
"Wha-what happened?" she muttered, as she looked over inquisitively towards Raziel.  
"Moebius is dead. We'll have to search for the Heart on our own."  
With that said, the former vampire leapt down from the rafters, followed by Jenise. They began to meticulously search the room's every nook and cranny. They worked opposite sides of the room, which increased their progress. As Raziel searched a bookcase, Jenise came towards a strange altar at the far end of the chamber.  
"Raziel, I believe I have found something!" she called out. Raziel rushed over to her side. The altar she stood by was some sort of icon of time. The hourglass on the shrine never ran out of sand as it fell, and the continuously burning candles never melted.  
"There is a draft coming from behind this altar," Jenise indicated to Raziel, though he had noticed it as well.   
The reaver of souls dug his claws into the white marble that served as the base to the altar. Using all his strength, Raziel pushed the altar to the side. Behind it, was a hidden storage compartment, inset into the surrounding wall. Several shelves lined the inside. On the center shelf, was a strangely, yet intricately carved wooden box.   
Intrigued by its presence, Raziel carefully lifted it off the shelf. He slowly opened it, and to his amazement, the Heart lie inside. After such a long, hard fought journey, he finally had the object of his desire. It was almost too good to be true. Finally, after a long gaze, Raziel snapped the box shut.  
"Alright, we finally have the Heart, Jenise. Now we must take this to Vorador, and tell him our plan."  
"I really hope this works," the priestess replied as they left the inner chamber.  
Returning to the main chamber, Raziel glanced up at the stone above one of the time streaming rooms. A slight sparkle within the gem had caught his eye. In previous attempts at activating the crystal while they were in the future, the crystal had been dull and devoid of any magical element. In this time, it still seemed to thrive.  
Willing to take a chance, Raziel decided to try to activate the gem. Raising his right arm, Raziel stared at his palm, his symbiotic weapon still absent long after Moebius's death. Concentrating, he attempted to will the blade from its withdrawn state. Jenise, who had still been heading towards the exit, paused in her tracks and curiously glanced backwards at her companion, wondering why he had stopped.  
Raziel continued his attempt at summoning the wraith blade. But his weapon would not obey him. His efforts seemed in vain. Somehow, Moebius's influences were still affecting the blade. 


	32. The Spirit Reaver

Chapter Thirty-Two  
  
"What are you doing?" Jenise asked Raziel as he dumbfoundedly stared at his right hand.  
"The wraith blade. It's still under Moebius's influences somehow," he enlightened the priestess.   
"Didn't you say that when you distanced yourself far enough from Moebius and his staff that the wraith blade returned willingly?" Jenise offered a suggestion.  
"Yes. But Moebius is dead and his staff is destroyed. Surely, I would be able to use the blade by now," Raziel commented, attempting to summon the blade once again for emphasis. This time, however, the blade's desire to comply with its host was apparent. An essence of the blade's energy coiled around Raziel's arm, beginning with his bicep. It slowly curled downward around his arm until it came to his palm, where it stopped. Raziel stared at the wisps of energy with surprise.  
"See, it's coming back," Jenise replied in an 'I-told-you-so' manner.  
Raziel corrected her. "No, it's barely there. The blade is very weak. I can sense that it's struggling to retain its partial manifestation."   
Raziel looked from his hand to the crystal above the streaming chamber door. Hopeful that he could activate the door, he attempted to summon the light element, but with the blade in its weak condition, it could not gather the strength needed to shift elements.  
"Maybe if we left the stronghold, it will regain its strength," replied the priestess, still stuck on the thought that her idea would work.  
"How are we going to leave? We can't open the stronghold doors with all the water outside. And the bridge we used to get to the balcony is gone."  
"I don't think the lake is flooded any more," explained Jenise. "Remember what Moebius said? He used his magic to raise the water level in an attempt to thwart Kain. Moebius is dead now, so he can't possibly be able to keep his spell active."  
"His influence is still affecting my blade. How do we know its not still affecting the lake outside? And even if the lake wasn't flooded anymore, I cannot open the stronghold doors. The blade is too weak to use. There has to be another way to restore the blade's strength," Raziel surmised.   
With his last sentence, Raziel seemed to enter a deep thought. Jenise remained quiet so that he could concentrate. For several moments, ideas were formed and were quickly discarded in Raziel's mind. Until, finally, a realization hit him.  
"I believe I've an idea!" the vampire wraith suddenly exclaimed, nearly startling Jenise. The priestess quietly waited for Raziel's plan. "Upon my first visit to this stronghold, there was this strange structure at the bottom of the lake. I believe it may be an old forge of some sort. The problem is that I'm not sure how I'm going to activate it since it's underwater."  
"Then let's go find it," Jenise encouraged the idea.  
"No. I need you to guard the Heart," Raziel turned down the priestess as he handed her the wooden box containing the sacred relic. "Stay here in this chamber. It is well fortified against an attack, though I doubt anyone will give you any trouble. Kain seems to have decimated any humans within the stronghold. I shall return here once I've succeeded. Then we can use this time streaming chamber to travel back to your time."  
Jenise huffed a frustrated sigh of defeat. She had no desire to wait around again while Raziel went off on another one of his little escapades. But she knew she didn't have much of a choice. At any moment of his choosing, Raziel could shift planes and leave her there, and there was nothing she could do about it. It was best she wait while he attempted his plan.  
Thankful for her compliance, Raziel left the outer time streaming chamber and headed towards the balcony of their entrance. This, however, required another unnerving trip through that forsaken room of his abhorrence. As he traveled through the stronghold, bloodied bodies of vampire hunters lined the corridors. Obviously, the doing of the fledge Kain.   
Finally, Raziel reached the final barrier before the balcony of his release. If all went well, this may be the last time he would have to enter this vile edifice. Focusing on the task at hand, Raziel passed through the room of the Sarafan priests without so much as a second glance.   
When he reached the balcony, and took in the sight of the lake, he was in awe. Merely an hour ago, and the water's surface was only ten feet below his current location. Now, as Jenise had predicted, the lake was far below the balcony, nearly forty feet down to the surface.   
Raziel paused to stare at the bare essence of the wraith blade still around his arm with narrowed eyes. Though Moebius's spell over the lake had diminished, his manipulation over the former vampire's weapon had not. Deciding not to waste more time, Raziel dove into the cold waters below.  
The reaver of souls swam to the lakebed, towards the center of the body of water. His memory served him correctly, the decrepit ruins of an ancient shrine lie on the sandy depths of the lake. The structure was of a circular stone. Three skeleton-like remains of arches rose from the edges of the platform. In times past, these arches had risen over the center of the structure.  
Uncertain as to how he would activate the ruined structure, Raziel swam closer for a better inspection, hopeful to unlock its secrets. As he did so, the wraith blade seemed to take control once again. When Raziel neared the destroyed forge, instantaneously, the blade's strength had increased exponentially.   
With its growing strength, the blade was able to manifest itself once again. As it uncoiled and extended from the vampire wraith's arm, it pulled viciously at its helpless host, tugging Raziel towards the center of the platform. Once the blade successfully forced Raziel into the center of the structure, it wrenched Raziel's arm vertically, so that the blade was pointing upwards. A flash of bright light ensued as energy from the blade sparked into the remains of the three arches surrounding the platform.  
With the blade releasing its energy into the structure, Raziel began to feel a sick pull from the pit of his stomach, as if his energy was being drawn from him against his will. The blade increased the output of energy it was releasing. Just as Raziel began to wonder if the blade would ever relinquish its hold, and suspicion that the blade intended to suck Raziel dry of all his energy, the world around the former vampire swirled.  
As Raziel's vision blurred and he became extremely disorientated, the wraith blade released its grip on its host. Raziel shook his head to clear himself of the haze created by the blade's antics. As he did so, he realized he was on his feet, and that the pressure around him had dramatically decreased. The vampire wraith opened his eyes, and noting the twisted angles of objects around him, he knew he had shifted to the spectral plane.  
Inspecting his immediate surroundings, Raziel noticed that in this realm, the forge he now stood on was complete. The arches were whole, and rose up over his head before connecting with each other at the center. Below his feet, was the symbol of the spirit: two circles, one inside the other, with curves branching between the two. In the middle of the center circle, and between his feet, was the hole for which to insert the blade. A soft pulse emanated from the hole.  
Without hesitation, Raziel thrust the blade into the socket. After a moment, he was flung upward as the blade was baptized with the essence of spirit energy. When finished devouring every last drop of energy, the blade relinquished its dominance.  
Raziel held the newly imbued blade up for inspection. Being an element of the spirit, it made perfect sense that the wraith blade could behold this element in the spectral realm. With this new attribute, Raziel could sense a wisp of a connection between this realm and the material. It was the same connection he could feel while standing on one of the conduits he so often used to shunt him into the physical plane.   
Deciding to give an idea a try, Raziel attempted to shift to the physical realm without the aid of a conduit. As he twisted his extended arms around himself, trails of energy were left in the wake of his hands. When the two arcs came full circle around him, the scenery began to bend into a more natural looking form. Raziel found himself swept off his feet as the water around him became substantial once again.  
Now all that lay before him was returning to the time streaming chamber. Swimming underwater, Raziel emerged on the other side of the stronghold. After climbing to shore, Raziel took a moment to assess the wraith blade. The power he was sensing from the energy blade caused a slight quiver of fear deep inside the former vampire. He realized that the blade might very well be much stronger than him now.  
Switching the reaver to the properties of light, Raziel opened the doorway to the stronghold, and entered the building. Not before long, he was outside the doorway to the outer chamber of the streaming device. Giving the door a push, he silently entered the chamber where an extremely bored priestess waited.  
Jenise had taken a seat long ago, and leaned up against one of the stone columns. Her back was to Raziel when he entered. Somehow, despite the lack of noise Raziel made upon entering, Jenise was aware of his presence.  
"I take it that because you're back, you were successful," she calmly replied, still not facing the reaver of souls. Without need of a visual confirmation, she knew it was he who had entered the chamber.  
Raziel approached her nonchalant form and gave his own comment. "It's nice to see how keenly aware you are of everything around you," he began a compliment, "despite the laid back technique you use for guarding something important."   
His comment turned half-scolding, half-joking towards the end. Under other circumstances, Raziel would be reeling with anger at Jenise's carelessness. But with virtually no threat at the moment, he found it amusing that she had to suffer through mindless boredom.  
"If you haven't gotten too comfortable, I believe we best be going," Raziel suggested while at the same time, pointing out the obviously painful stone floor Jenise was sitting on.  
"You know what? I HAVE gotten pretty comfortable sitting here," the priestess replied sarcastically. "I was actually thinking about taking a nap. You don't mind, do you?"   
With that, Jenise closed her eyes and slouched down slightly while placing her hands behind her head. Raziel was slightly dumbfounded and confused. She wasn't serious...was she? He stared at her for a few moments, trying to figure it out, when he noticed a crack in the priestess's façade. A slight twitch at the corner of her mouth was more than enough indication that she was trying to suppress a smile.   
With the theory that two could play at that game, Raziel threw Jenise a curve ball. "No. I don't mind if you take a nap or not. I'll go on ahead with the Heart. I guess you'll catch up to me in about three hundred years or so?"  
"Yeah, okay. Sounds like a plan to me," Jenise waved him away with her hand. "Oh, and it's actually 324 years from now to be exact."  
Raziel took the Heart from Jenise's lap and started to walk towards the streaming room. Using the blade, he opened the door to the chamber and stepped inside. He turned back to Jenise for a final confirmation.  
"Okay. So 324 years from now...that is, if you can open the time streaming chamber without my assistance," Raziel added at the end, knowing full well that once the door slid shut, Jenise could not open it. The realization finally hit Jenise at Raziel's last comment. Her eyes snapped open and she instantly jumped up to her feet.  
"You wouldn't dare leave me here!" she scolded.   
"Wouldn't I?" Raziel replied as he turned away from her and began to walk towards the center of the time chamber.   
When he did so, the door began to slide shut. Jenise's eyes grew wide with momentary shock before she ran into the chamber. With an echoing thud, the door slid shut behind the priestess. Raziel turned back to face the priestess.  
"Oh, so you weren't that tired after all?"  
Jenise narrowed her eyes at him. "You are so mean."  
Raziel snickered. "I know."  
As the former vampire tinkered with the devices, Jenise joined his side and properly adjusted the dials to the correct time coordinates. With those in place, and the chamber buzzing with energy, the duo walked towards the device, which would propel them into the future.  
"You know, it's a good thing for you that I did come along," Jenise announced, her mood sounding more cheerful. "If not for me, you wouldn't be able to go to the correct time."  
Raziel 'hmphed' at Jenise's statement. She had a very valid point, but he wasn't going to admit it out loud. Both the time travelers grabbed hold of the central devise. But before they turned it, Jenise wanted to ask Raziel one question.  
"You wouldn't really have left me, would you have?"  
Raziel didn't answer. Instead, he just looked at Jenise. She couldn't discern what he was thinking.  
Worried, she repeated, "Would you have?" But before she could get her answer, Raziel turned the central streaming device, sending the pair to their destination. 


	33. Reunions

Chapter Thirty-Three  
  
Raziel and Jenise stepped out from the time streaming chamber within the Sarafan Stronghold. As they walked away from the chamber's doors, they slid to a shut. An echo resonated through the chamber from the stone doors meeting. Raziel fancied a glance at the doors behind him, and noticed that the crystal above the door darkened as the chamber sealed itself from the world.  
The warriors entered the vast corridor outside Moebius's chambers. Emerging from the previously inaccessible room, they startled two guardsmen who had been on watch waiting for Lord Moebius's return. Their shock lasted but a moment and they immediately took to arms. One of the two guards immediately recognized the pair who had presented themselves.  
"It's that foul creature and his whore! Returned to seek your revenge wench?" sneered the guardsman who Jenise had encountered during her last visit to the stronghold in this era. Jenise drew her sword and crouched in a battle ready stance.  
"Revenge? For what? A battle that Stephin could not walk away from either?" she snorted.   
A grim smile spread across the guardsman's face. "So you do not know?"  
Jenise's amusement grew into a dangerous ire. "Know what? Tell me, guardsman, what I do not know. Or else I shall have to force it from your dying lips!"  
"Tis not us that will be meeting our ends!" cried the guard.  
With the threat, the guards attacked Raziel and Jenise. The match was in very poor favor for the guards. A few quick blows and one of the guardsmen was now a corpse. The other was suffering, unable to stand on his own. The priestess 'happily' obliged to help him stand, holding him up by the collar of his armor.  
"It was very foolish of you not to divulge me with your information," Jenise growled deeply in the guardsman's face. She raised her sword to his throat for emphasis. "Tell me what you have kept from me, and I shall spare you. Defy me, and I shall let my accomplice devour your soul like he did your comrade!"  
There was a trace of fear in the guardsman's eyes, but defiance was more abundant. However, he opted to comply with Jenise's demands.  
"I shall tell you, but only because I know it will cause you suffering in the long run," the guard began his devious explanation. "Your friend, the sorceress...Malia, I believe...has been found guilty of treason. She has been convicted of the crimes of aiding a vampire. She should now be receiving her punishment."  
Jenise's eyes widened in shock. "What is her punishment?"  
"Death...by torture!" the guard sneered, laughing at Jenise's plight.   
Enraged by her prisoner's delight in the predicament, Jenise decapitated him in one clean swipe. She quickly stood to her feet and ran off in the direction of the Stronghold's prison cells. Noticing the priestess was not headed in the direction of the exit, Raziel called after her.  
"Jenise, where are you going?"  
"I have to find Malia before it's too late! I have to save her! It's my fault this happened. We should have taken her from here when we had the chance!" exclaimed the priestess.  
As Jenise rounded a corner, she was nearly jumped by a Sarafan knight. She dodged at the last moment, and as she passed by him, she clipped him on the back of the head with the hilt of her sword. The knight was sent careening forward with no control of balance, and tripped towards Raziel. The wraith vampire backhanded the knight, sending him into a wall. The collision between the knight's head and the wall left the Sarafan warrior unconscious on the floor.  
"The least you could do is be a little more careful," Raziel commented as the two continued their way.  
They traveled through the corridors, occasionally coming across a knight or two. They took as little time as necessary dispatching their foes. Fortunately for the knights, Jenise's urgency meant that she didn't have time to finish them off. Instead, they were left unconscious or with injuries preventing them from fighting any further.  
Finally reaching the entrance to the prison cells, Jenise threw open the gate and stormed inside. She hastily ran into the large, open room, but when taking in the sight before her, she stopped dead in her tracks. The shock of the ghastly view left her speechless. Raziel slowly walked up beside the priestess and gazed over at the object of Jenise's attention.  
On the far wall, was Malia's limp body hanging from chains in the wall. Her clothes were tattered and torn. Cuts, burns and bruises were visible under the threads of cloth. Blood seeped down from her arms, head and body, down her legs where it pooled on the floor beneath her. Her face was not visible, for her head hung limply under the pressure of gravity.   
Taking up the courage to continue, Jenise slowly began to pace towards the form of the broken girl. As the priestess approached Malia, her footsteps echoed through the silent chamber. She gazed at the body of her friend. As the heavy sorrow filled her heart, her eyes began to fill with tears. The excess liquid in her eyes blurred her vision, but she paid her tears no heed.   
Jenise was determined to reach Malia, to take her body down from the wretched chains the Sarafan warriors had left her in. And, she was determined to give Malia the proper burial in her honor that any true friend would see fit to have for a loved one. With tears obscuring her vision, Jenise did not notice the small twitch of movement from the body in front of her.   
"Do not...come any closer," choked a barely audible whisper. Taken by surprise, Jenise suddenly stopped and stared, dumbstruck. "I will tell you nothing...no matter how much you torture me."  
"M-Malia?" Jenise was barely able to squeak out the sorceress's name. She was overcome by the heavy emotions of losing a close friend then moments later discovering that said friend was not dead after all. The overwhelming relief pushed Jenise over the edge as her tears spilled down her cheeks. Having recognized the voice that spoke her name, Malia willed enough strength to lift her face.  
"Jenise? Is it really you?"  
Tears began streaming down the young sorceress's face. Jenise ran over to her friend and unbound her from her chains. She gently lowered Malia to the ground and was able get a good look at her wounds.   
Malia had several deep cuts on her arms and legs, which appeared to have been cauterized shut with hot metal. This ensured that she would not bleed to death, allowing her torture to be prolonged. However, blood still seeped from some of the deeper wounds inflicted upon her.   
Jenise looked to Malia's face. The damage there seemed even more horrendous. The most serious of wounds to her face was the large burned section of flesh on the left side of her face. The destroyed tissue stretched from the corner of her mouth, up along the bottom of her cheekbone to the temple, across her face above where her eyebrow had been, and down along the side of her nose. Apparently, someone had taken a torch to her face. Staring at the abomination to her friend's face, Jenise barely made out the darkened area of skin where tattoo ink had once beheld an intricate rune.  
The rest of Malia's face had been saved for the most part. Her right eye was bruised and swollen shut. She had also suffered a split lip, though the blood that had seeped from the right corner of her mouth was now dry.  
"Malia, I'm so sorry! This is my fault. I let this happen to you!" Jenise's heart wrenched with guilt.  
The sorceress shook her head as much as she could. "No. This isn't your fault. I was careless. I left my bedchamber open when I left for my training. I was in a hurry and did not wish to be late again. Someone from my guild saw the bloody sheets still my floor. Knowing it was not my blood, he alerted my superiors. That was when they captured me for questioning."  
"But Malia! I left you here with them! If I had taken you with me, this would not have happened!"  
"If you had taken her with us, she might not be alive now," Raziel interjected the tender moment. His statement earned a questioning glance from Jenise. "While we traveled to the past, Vorador could have protected her from the vampires of the Cabal, but not all the vampires of this time are his allies. Kain told me once that there were several vampires in service to the Sarafan. In the custody of those vampires, Malia would have either been killed by them, or taken back here."  
"He's right, Jenise. It was the best choice to leave me here."  
"But Malia, your wounds! You may still die yet!"  
"Not if we get her someplace where her wounds can be treated," suggested Raziel.  
"I wouldn't count on that," interrupted a different, but familiar voice. Jenise and Raziel's heads snapped to the direction of the prison entrance.  
"Stephin!" Jenise growled with absolute hatred. "How could you do this to her! She did nothing wrong!"  
Stephin emitted a deep-throated chuckle. "Oh, but she has! She helped a demon and a vampire escape the stronghold. Her punishment is death! But it no longer matters. For I now have who I was looking for right here! I believe we have a fight to finish!"  
As Stephin unsheathed his weapon, Jenise gently rested Malia's head on the ground. She rose to her feet and drew her weapon as well. The combatants began to size each other up, when Raziel stepped in the middle.  
"And what reason makes you think you can defeat us? If I remember our last battle correctly, I left you nearly as injured as you left Jenise."  
Another, more menacing, laugh left Stephin's lips. "I have a very good reason...about twenty good reasons..." he trailed off as twenty Sarafan knights and priests spilled into the chamber.   
Raziel and Jenise's eyes widened in horror. Had the Sarafan been expecting their return this entire time? Cornered, and without any other options, the reaver of souls and the priestess crouched into fighting stances. The tension in the air was building up as each side waited for the other to make the first move.   
Suddenly, five knights from the front started to charge their opponents. But just as they did so, six of the knights from Stephin's left were thrust forcefully and inexplicably through the air and into the attacking knights. They were all left in unconscious heaps as they crashed into the surrounding walls.   
Raziel and Jenise looked from the fallen warriors to the remaining knights for some sort of explanation. Stephin and the still standing knights were left puzzled as well, until four more knights from his right flank were sent careening into stone. After witnessing more of their comrades fall, the Sarafan warriors turned behind them to discover the source of the disturbance.  
The sight that Stephin beheld was the most terrifying he had ever come to witness beforehand. The beast that had flattened three-fourths of his men in mere seconds pulsed with foreboding power. He appeared to be vampiric, but his twisted characteristics did not resemble any other vampire, and any trace of his former humanity seemed to have left him centuries ago. Stephin had encountered only one other being who emitted a power as great as this one did. And that being was the Sarafan Lord.  
The creature's lips spread, displaying two razor sharp fangs as he grinned with malice. Stephin sensed that the vampire's next move would not be pleasant. And his assumption was correct.   
The vampire needed to summon only a fraction of his energy for the attack he had been using. His energy sparked with electricity as the purple aura that surrounded him condensed into a single point. When his attack was prepared, he launched a bolt of energy and the group of Sarafan. Upon striking its victims, the sheer power of the attack sent the six Sarafan warriors hurtling through the air until they ploughed into the stone wall and fell to the ground.  
Her sword still drawn, Jenise stared at Stephin's unconscious form, waiting for him to rise. When after several moments he did not stir, Jenise relaxed. Sheathing her sword, she turned her attention back to Malia. Raziel, however, had his attention on the being who stood silently in the doorway.  
"Kain. I should have known it was you," the former vampire snidely replied.  
Jenise's head snapped up at the mention of the vampire's name. "Kain? He's awake?" she inquired, until she looked at the vampire. "Wait, you're not Kain! You're that strange vampire who intruded in Vorador's mansion over a year ago!"  
"You've met him before?" Raziel asked of the priestess.  
"Yes. And he wasn't the most courteous of people either. Wouldn't even grace us with his name. A very untrustworthy characteristic in my opinion."  
"Forgive me, then, for my prior rudeness," the vampire finally spoke, directing his apology towards Jenise. "Allow me to introduce myself. Raziel spoke the truth upon addressing me. For I am none other than the vampire Kain." 


	34. Meridian

Chapter Thirty-Four  
  
"Allow me to introduce myself. Raziel spoke the truth upon addressing me. For I am none other than the vampire Kain."  
Jenise gave the master vampire a long scrutinizing stare. She glanced momentarily at Raziel, his nod confirming Kain's claim to his identity. Her eyebrow quirked as she tried to figure out the possibility of two Kain's existing during the same time. Time. That was the answer.  
"You, too, have come from the distant future, then. As Raziel has?" the priestess's statement trailed into a question towards the end. She was almost certain she was correct with her assumption, but found herself hesitant to make any conclusions.  
Kain nodded an affirmation. "You are a very clever girl. I now see why Raziel has chosen to form an alliance with a Sarafan priestess."  
"Former Sarafan," she corrected, with a finalizing tone. Kain's eyebrow furrowed slightly at her claim, but he chose not to challenge the priestess.  
"Tell me, Kain. Why is it that you have finally decided to show yourself now? Jenise and I have learned many things and gone through many trials without your interference. If I find you have merely been waiting around for us to accomplish your dirty work for you..." the reaver of souls let the threat hang in the air. He had become disgusted with being used like someone's pawn long ago. He was determined to not allow it to happen again.  
"Raziel, I am offended by your lack of trust. You do not truly believe I would do such a thing, do you?" Kain asked his former lieutenant, feigning innocence.  
The vampire wraith narrowed his eyes at his sire. "Trustworthiness is NOT an accurate word for which to describe you, Kain."  
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Raziel. Especially since I have saved you twice now."  
"I may have some gratitude for the actions that merely postponed my oblivion," Raziel paused a moment, allowing the words burn into Kain's head. "But to claim you have twice saved me is a joke. It may have taken some time, but I would have been able to defeat the Sarafan warriors. I did not need your assistance," claimed the reaver of souls.  
"I do not doubt your abilities. However, I have seen what the outcome of this battle would have been, had I not intervened. You, being incapable of death, would have survived the battle. They, would not have," Kain informed Raziel as he gestured to the two young women at the far side of the chamber.  
Raziel glanced over to the ladies, one tending to the other's wounds. The truth to Kain's words was evident. The sorceress was so badly injured; she could not stand on her own. As it was, she could die from her wounds alone. If even the weakest of the Sarafan were able to get to her, it wouldn't have taken much to end her life. Jenise, though being one of the best fighters he had ever witnessed, was still no match for nearly two-dozen opponents.  
Raziel strode over to the women, inspecting Malia's wounds. The girl had slipped into unconsciousness during the excursion with the Sarafan. Sensing Raziel's presence, Jenise looked up into his face. Worry clearly shone on the priestess's face.  
"We need to get her someplace where we can care for her wounds. There is a medical wing here in the stronghold, but I do not think it wise to stay here. We risk being attacked again if we remain," Jenise stated with uncertainty. She wanted desperately to help her friend, but she knew not how.  
"We shall take her to the Cabal," Kain interrupted. Raziel and Jenise gave him skeptical glances.  
"But her injuries...Her blood...It's scent would drive the vampires mad with thirst...We can't take her there," Jenise pleaded with the future lord of Nosgoth.  
"The Cabal are more sophisticated and controlled than the fledge vampires you may have encountered during your days as a Sarafan," informed Kain. "They would protect her while she healed. They would do so by Vorador's orders."  
Jenise looked from Kain to her friend. She did not think the decision was wise, but she had no other choice. She had to help Malia. With a sigh of defeat, she slowly nodded her agreement to the plan.  
"There is but one problem," Raziel noted. "We cannot travel with the girl's severe wounds. The most serious injuries would certainly reopen. If she didn't bleed to death first, infection would certainly take root and kill her in the long run."  
"I will teleport you to the Cabal's headquarters directly," the master vampire offered.  
Raziel was taken by surprise at Kain's generosity. It was very unusual for the vampire lord to offer his assistance unless it benefited him somehow. However, the situation was far too critical to dwell on the possibility of Kain's attempts at manipulation, no matter how much Raziel wished to not be taken advantage of again.  
"Alright, Kain. I shall trust you to take us to Vorador."  
"As do I," the priestess mumbled, still staring solemnly at the sorceress.  
With their final consent, Kain raised a barrier of energy around himself and his accomplices. The field of energy luminated as Kain conjured his teleport spell. The brilliance of the light reached it pinnacle when the master vampire completed the spell. The field then began to slowly dim, as Kain and his travelers faded into nothingness.  
  
Dusk had settled on the many streets of Meridian. The air was humid, causing an eerie fog to clog the streets. Most all of the daytime hustle had simmered down as the city residents retreated to their homes for the evening. It was far safer, even within the city walls, to remain home after the sun had set. The only beings that stirred on the streets at night were Sarafan guards, and the vampires they sought to destroy.  
At the far side of the city, where the poorest of the poor were forced to reside, were the slums of Meridian. The stench from the sewers filled the air, the result of improper plumbing. Rats skittered about in the alleyways, feeding of the bits of rotted trash that had been carelessly discarded by passersby.   
This part of the city was so disgusting and miserable that the Sarafan did not bother to patrol the area. They were far too concerned with the safety of the nobles and lords, whom generously paid the Sarafan for their protection from the vampire scourge.  
The buildings in the slums were in such horrid condition that they were barely livable. Many of the roofs had holes in them, and repairs were made to broken windows by simply boarding them up. But not all houses here were like so. One house in particular, a deserted mansion, perhaps once owned by a rich noble, stood strong against the decay that surrounded it.   
This mansion was intact. The only blemish this building had was the faded and chipping paint on its outside walls. Even the tall iron bar gates that surrounded the edifice were holding strong. However, the appearance of security and warmth the mansion seemed to offer did not convince even the homeless to venture inside for a night. For the mortals knew, inside this mansion, resided a foreboding evil. It was in front of this mansion, that a strange buzz of energy filled the air. In a flash of light, four figures seemed to suddenly appear from thin air.  
Immediately taking in his surroundings, one of the figures spoke harshly to another. "What kind of game is this, Kain? This is not Vorador's mansion! We aren't even near the poison swamps! Why have you brought us here?" demanded Raziel.  
"Your request was to be taken to Vorador. Not his mansion. I have only done as you have asked, but if you would like me to take you elsewhere..." Kain replied complacently.  
"We're...in Meridian...aren't we?" Jenise inquired of the master vampire with uncertainty, taking in the unpleasant surroundings.  
"That we are."  
"Why are we here?" wondered the priestess.  
"This is where Vorador and the Cabal now organize their resistance," informed Kain. "What better way to watch your enemies than from their own backyard?"  
"But only a fraction of the Sarafan force is located here in Meridian," the reaver of souls interrupted. "The Cabal can't possibly see everything the Sarafan Lord is plotting from here."  
"That may be true, but information has its way of filtering down the ranks. Vorador has dispatched a few of his elite to infiltrate the Sarafan hierarchy in order to discover the Hilden's plans," replied the future ruler of Nosgoth.  
"So where is Vorador anyway?" Jenise queried, anxious to tend to Malia's wounds.  
"Inside that building," said Kain, pointing to the large mansion standing out against the smaller, decrepit houses.  
Jenise hefted Malia's small-framed body into her arms, cradling her knees and her back. Not waiting for her male counterparts, she started for the mansion. Kain and Raziel followed silently. The quartet paused only momentarily so that the men could open the gate for Jenise while she carried her friend. Just as they approached the mansion's grand front entrance, Kain held his accomplices back momentarily.  
"Wait, there's one thing I must tell you before we enter," he replied, explaining his actions. "Once we are inside, do not address me as Kain. Do not let Vorador or any of the vampires from this era know of my true identity."  
"Why not?" Jenise demanded impatiently. She had come this close to getting Malia medical attention and Kain's 'speech' was hindering her progress.  
"I do not want them to know who I am, for it may further alter events in history," Kain continued with a bit of irritation in his voice for having been so rudely interrupted. He gave Jenise a stern glare as he spoke.  
"Since when are you concerned with preserving history's natural order of events, Kain?" Raziel ridiculed his maker's comment.  
Kain passed his glare from Jenise to his first-born. "I become concerned, when deviation from the natural order conflicts with my interests and threatens my existence."  
Raziel's eyes narrowed. "Yes. That self-preservative cowardice is very much like you, Kain. I am actually relieved that you have decided to revert to your true self. Your abounding generosity as of late was leaving me very apprehensive."  
"My 'generosity' binds itself to the simple fact that without you, Nosgoth is doomed to remain in its state of ruin for all eternity!" Kain growled angrily at the vampire wraith through clenched teeth.  
"Ha! That comment is very humorous when coming from the mouth of the very soul who sentenced this world to its death!"  
"And if I hadn't, you wouldn't be here right now!" the master vampire reminded his son.  
"Do you believe me grateful for the form you have left me in?" Raziel demanded of his sire, his voice rising to match that of his growing anger.  
"BOYS!" Jenise finally snapped. The priestess couldn't take the bickering any longer. Both Raziel's and Kain's heads snapped to the direction of the former Sarafan. In their heated dispute, they had momentarily forgotten about the ladies in their company.  
"I'd HATE to disrupt such a meaningful conversation," she sarcastically replied, "but I do believe we have matters of far greater importance to concern ourselves with."  
Raziel and Kain did not argue the validity of Jenise's point, although they refused to admit the pointlessness to their argument. They exchanged a final look that seemed to say 'This isn't over yet.' This did not pass Jenise's attention. She rolled her eyes at their childish display. The priestess momentarily wondered if she and Raziel appeared to act the same way when they fought, but she shook the thought from her head before she could start to dwell on it.  
Apparently, Raziel and Kain's argument was loud enough to catch the attention of the vampire residents of the mansion. For when the group turned towards the mansion, they found themselves facing thirty elite vampires, all armed and ready to defend their master. Of the elite, was the unhappy face of Umah, and at the center of the hoard, was the very disappointed and unimpressed Vorador.  
"If the three of you do not try to be a little more inconspicuous, I shall have to ask you to seek refuge elsewhere. I am not enduring the rancid stench of decay and feces for my own enjoyment. I have chosen this mansion for its strategic location. I do not need you drawing the attention of the Sarafan to this area of the city," Vorador scolded his guests with an unnerving calmness.  
"My apologies, Lord Vorador," Jenise politely addressed the vampire, bowing her head slightly in a display of respect. The bundle in her arms prevented her from properly bowing to the Cabal leader. "My colleagues meant no harm with their little excursion. Raziel and I have devised a plan with which to defeat the Hilden. However, my friend here is in dire need of medical help. I must see that her wounds are tended before I can continue with my service to you."  
Vorador's eyes glanced down at the bruised heap in Jenise's arms. He nearly snarled at the sight of the Sarafan sorcerer. However, the severe wounds the girl suffered through were enough to make the vampire feel a bit remorseful for her pain. The obvious torture was far worse than what the most heartless of vampire killers deserved.  
The current vampire lord pondered his dilemma momentarily. Should he aid the sorceress, or should he deny her medical help knowing it would ultimately lead to her death? He knew, however, that if he did not provide assistance to the girl, that Jenise would feel betrayed, and he would no longer have her loyalty or support. He could not afford to lose that, especially now with the promise of a new strategy.  
With a final sigh of resignation, Vorador made his decision. His disposition relaxed slightly, as an unseen force seemed to have been lifted from his shoulders.  
To his men, he ordered, "Allow them to pass. See to it that the girl's wounds are tended to. Do not harm her in anyway, or I shall see fit to remove the head from any who even consider disobeying my order."  
Relief on her face, Jenise followed the Cabal vampires into their headquarters, followed by Raziel and Kain. As soon as Malia's condition stabilized, the second step in Raziel and Jenise's plan would be completed. 


	35. The Cabal

Chapter Thirty-Five  
  
Vorador led his unexpected guests into the temporary headquarters of the Cabal. On such short notice, this abandoned mansion was the most suitable building his scouts could find. Though the Sarafan did not bother with the slums, Vorador felt this location was not very well fortified against attack. He had a feeling that it would not be long before he relocated within the city of Meridian.  
As they entered the dimly lit, but vast foyer, most of the Cabal vampires dispersed within, returning to the tasks they had been busying themselves with before the disturbance. Vorador, Umah, and the four newcomers remained.  
"Umah, please escort Jenise and her comrade to a private chamber where the girl's wounds can be tended. Summon Aldreah to aid you. She seems to be gifted with healing capabilities," the Cabal leader ordered. Umah nodded, and turned to Jenise.  
"This way," she said indifferently to the priestess as she walked towards the west wing. Jenise silently complied. Once the women were out of sight, Vorador turned his attention towards Kain.  
"I was unsure if I was ever to hear from you again. It has been over a year since you last contacted me," Vorador replied. "Were you able to discover what you were seeking?"  
Raziel gave Kain a questioning glance. He was surprised that Kain had previously contacted Vorador. He wondered what, if any, information of the future Kain might have divulged to the historical vampire. The vampire wraith began to worry about Kain's seeming indifference towards maintaining stability within the time stream.   
Only one thought kept Raziel from full-blown paranoia: Kain did not wish his identity revealed to Vorador. With that, lied the hope that Kain had said nothing at all to Vorador that may alter the latter vampire's future.  
"The Sarafan Lord's sudden appearance into our world... Yes, I have discovered the treachery that wrought him from his destined demise. That scoundrel Moebius whisked him from the sands of time mere moments before the ancient vampires sealed him away with the rest of the Hilden race," Kain explained, snarling at the truth of his discoveries. "Now he wishes to open a gateway which will free the Hilden race, allowing them to invade Nosgoth. If he succeeds, he shall engage a full blown war against the vampire race, hoping to wipe Nosgoth clean of our people."  
Vorador listened intently to Kain's words, but Raziel listened evermore so. The reaver's mist-filled eyes had narrowed to slits upon mention of Moebius's name. The conniving bastard was determined to eliminate all vampires from this world even centuries after his death. Having seen into the future, the time streamer had set the series of events in motion long before he was to have met his end at the hands of Kain.  
"What plans might you have to prevent this from occurring?" Vorador spoke with a disturbing calmness to the dark news. "My Cabal is growing, but our numbers are not enough to combat an entire race of creatures. The human race is already proving difficult on their own accord. As my children grow stronger, so do the Sarafan priests. My hope resides on the shoulders of one vampire, yet he still has not risen since his defeat at the Sarafan Lord's hand."  
Kain nodded at Vorador's last sentence. He slowly paced the floor, deep in thought. His newfound memories of his excursions with the Sarafan Lord were still hazy. He was still attempting to sort through the clouded visions.  
"Do not give up on Kain," the future lord of Nosgoth replied, halting his pace. "He shall play a vital role in ridding Nosgoth of the Hilden. And I believe he shall wish to extract his revenge upon the Sarafan Lord."  
Vorador slightly raised an eyebrow. The still unnamed vampire spoke as if he knew what motives Kain would have upon rising from his sleep.  
"As of yet, I do not have a plan," continued Kain, "but I believe Raziel has formed an idea. Have you not?" he turned his attention to his former lieutenant.  
Vorador's attention drew to Raziel. The reaver of souls had been taken off guard by the sudden spotlight. The vampires waited quietly for him to respond. Raziel looked between Kain and Vorador nervously. Still in his talons, was the wooden box containing Janos's heart. The former vampire unconsciously clenched the object in his grasp.  
Raziel was unsure whether or not to enlighten the vampires with the plan. He was wary that neither vampire would take kindly to the steps required in order to reach the final goal. Actually, he was certain Kain would not be too happy about it.  
  
Jenise carried Malia while following Umah down a long hallway. They passed several rooms, along the way. Occasionally, Jenise would see a vampire or two in a room, but most remained empty. As she passed by one room, she noticed a lone vampire, lying on an old bed, tossing in the throws of a vivid nightmare. Jenise stopped in front of this room, watching the vampire struggle in his sleep, as his long silver hair matted with sweat.  
"He grows worse by the day," Umah quietly replied, having noticed the priestess's concern over the vampire. "Though he does not speak it, I can sense that Vorador worries if Kain shall ever rise from his slumber or not."  
Jenise remained silent. Her thoughts wandered to the vampire of the future whom they had left behind moments ago. It was hard to imagine that the tormented creature before her was the same headstrong dictator of Nosgoth's future.  
"Kain shall prevail," the priestess muttered solemnly. Though barely audible, Umah still heard Jenise's words. She wondered the meaning of the former Sarafan's words, but decided not to fret over it.  
"Come. There is a vacant room this way," Umah continued the walk down the hallway.  
The room Umah provided to Jenise was three doors down from Kain's. Jenise gently lowered Malia onto the bed. As she did, a young female vampire entered the room, carrying a few supplies. Jenise assumed her to be the 'Aldreah' Vorador had mentioned beforehand.  
The fledge began setting vials with strange liquids on a table. She then moved over to Malia, to inspect her of her wounds. Jenise felt a twinge of hesitation to the vampire's proximity to her friend, but did not openly protest. She knew this was for Malia's benefit, not her endangerment.  
"Her wounds are severe," Aldreah spoke with conformity. "As unused to treating human wounds as I am, I am not sure I will be able to heal her completely."  
"What does that mean?" Jenise suddenly worried, the thought that Malia would not survive echoed in the back of her mind.  
"She will have to rest for some time. The wounds will eventually close, but she will sustain heavy scarring. I will be able to concoct an ointment that will prevent infection in her cuts, and I have a salve that will ease the pain on her face," the medic informed with an indifference that Jenise found slightly offensive. Aldreah gave Malia's face a second examination.  
"Her face will most definitely retain much of the damage," she spoke, indicating the burns on the sorceress's face. "Her left eye will be permanently blind."  
Jenise's heart sank at the news. She had feared the possible outcome. Now it spoke true. Her insurmountable guilt struck harder now than ever before. 'If only I hadn't left her behind...' she thought.  
Jenise had remained in the room while Aldreah dressed Malia's wounds. The medic did a wonderful job considering her lack of supplies and being unaccustomed to human frailties. Umah had remained during the procedures as well, overlooking the fledgling's work. Finally satisfied with her efforts, Aldreah rose from the bedside, picking up the remnants of her belongings.   
"The girl requires rest. It is best if we leave her alone while she heals," instructed the young vampire.  
"I will not leave her here alone in the midst of a vampire colony," Jenise glowered. "Her wounds may be clean, but she still faintly smells of blood. Should a vampire come by unable to control his thirst..."  
"I will see to it that two elite guards are posted at her door," Umah reassured the priestess.   
Jenise glanced at the elder vampire, as if to ensure her sincerity. Searching Umah's eyes, she saw no signs of treachery, and so she conceded. Knowing she could not remain by Malia's side forever, Jenise rose to her feet. She had to press onward to continue her plans with Raziel. He could not accomplish their goals alone.  
"Promise me, she will be safe," pleaded the priestess.  
"You have my sworn oath."  
  
Vorador and Kain's patience was growing thin.  
"You do have a plan, don't you, Raziel?" Kain's impatience was evident in his voice.  
Raziel glanced down at the box within his hands. Should he tell them what he is to do with the Heart? Just as he was about to speak, the door to the west wing opened, attracting the attention of the foyer's three occupants. From the doorway emerged Umah and Jenise.  
"Has the girl's injuries been cared for?" Vorador asked of Umah, not so much in concern for Malia's well being, but more so to ensure that his orders had been carried out.  
"Yes Milord. She is now resting," Umah confirmed with a slight bow of her head.  
Vorador turned his attention back to Raziel. "I trust you were able to contact Janos. Surely, my sire has indulged you with information that even I was not told of. I'm sure something he has told you has enabled you to devise a plan."  
Jenise interrupted and spoke on Raziel's behalf. "Yes. We do have a plan. Janos told us how the Hilden were defeated centuries ago. Raziel and I plan on repeating this process."  
Vorador was highly interested in this bit of information, as vague as it was. He attempted to get Jenise to elaborate. "Please. Enlighten me."  
This time, Raziel interrupted. "We still have many steps to complete for our preparation. We would inform you of these tasks without hesitation, but we feel it is better if you continued concentrating on your front against the Sarafan. By doing so, Jenise and I will be able to accomplish our goals without notice from the Sarafan Lord."  
"Are you certain you do not need assistance from myself or the Cabal?" Vorador inquired.  
Raziel was about to speak the negation, but Jenise cut him off just before he was able to voice it. "I have only one request," the priestess spoke. "Raziel and I shall be streaming through time again very soon. We can't take Malia with us because of her injuries, but I cannot stay with her while she heals. I wish that you would please watch over her and protect her."  
Jenise looked up to the Cabal leader with pleading eyes. The vampire's stony gaze was unreadable. Jenise was worried that he might decline her request.  
"I know she was once Sarafan, as was I. But I assure you, that when she finally does arise, her loyalties will no longer be with her former allies. It was the Sarafan who caused her injuries. If she were captured by their forces again, they will not hesitate on killing her."  
The room remained silent for several moments while Jenise waited Vorador's decision. The vampire lord knew long ago that the woman before him would be a great asset. And now she had a plan with which to rid Nosgoth of the Hilden, despite the fact that she refused to give him any details about it. However, he trusted her judgments and made his decision.  
"I shall offer her protection until she can protect herself. After that, if she chooses to ally herself with our cause, it shall be welcome. If not, then I cannot protect her from my men. That is all I can offer," spoke Vorador.  
"And that is all I ask," Jenise replied with relief.  
  
Vorador had granted Raziel and Jenise permission to stay within the mansion to rest up before they headed out on their next mission. Vorador had summoned a meeting with a few of the Cabal. Kain had decided to partake in the meeting as well. During that time, Raziel and Jenise had wandered a few parts of the building, but eventually the priestess led the vampire wraith to the fledgling Kain.  
The duo stood in the center of the room, staring quietly at the sleeping beauty. The vampire's stirring had calmed significantly since Jenise had last seen him. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Jenise reached her right hand over to her left side, and slowly drew her sword, careful not to alert any nearby vampires by the sound of an unsheathing weapon.  
The priestess walked over to the dormant vampire's side. She turned the weapon upside down, so that the blade pointed towards the ground. Grasping the hilt in both hands, she hefted the sword in the air, her hands above her head, the tip of the blade directed over Kain's heart.  
"Are you certain this will work?" Raziel asked her, before they fully committed themselves to the deed. Jenise glanced momentarily at her companion.  
"It has to. What other choice do we have?"  
With final resolution, the priestess threw her entire strength into the blade, and in one swift thrust the weapon was imbedded through the heart of Kain's being.  
  
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Author's Notes:  
Oh, how terribly evil of me to leave a cliffhanger there, eh? Sorry to all those Kain lovers out there! I really have nothing against him! But after my cruelty at the end of this chapter, I wouldn't doubt it if I see some flames. (bust out flame retardant suit and fire extinguisher) 


	36. Release

Chapter Thirty-Six  
  
With final resolution, the priestess threw her entire strength into the blade, and in one swift thrust the weapon was imbedded through the heart of Kain's being.  
  
At the opposite end of the mansion, at the far end of the east wing, Vorador was conducting a meeting at that exact moment. The future version of Kain had decided to attend the gathering of elite, intent on being informed of at least one plan to stop the Hylden. The dozen or so gathered vampires informed their master of their current progress infiltrating the Sarafan force. Most of it was nothing more than mere drivel to the future emperor, as not much in the terms of plan processing was taking place.  
Kain chose to sit in a darkened corner of the room, half listening to a vampire babble about 'the Sarafan forcing peasants to erect strange devices throughout the city.' Though Vorador paid close attention to his men (or at least seemed to), Kain's thoughts wandered elsewhere. He was still rather irritated over the fact that Raziel and Jenise refused to tell him their plan.  
It was at that moment that Kain noticed a strange sensation emanating in the center of his chest. He noticed this strange fluttering feeling deep within his body. It almost felt like he could hardly breathe, as if his lungs where closing up, heavy with congestion. But there was no reason for such a thing to occur. Vampires could not be touched by the infectious grasp of sickness.  
Kain unconsciously brought a hand to his chest as he took deeper breaths. Beads of sweat formed on his brow. He glanced down to his troubling chest with paranoia. It was then that he noticed something peculiar. There was something different with the appearance of his flesh. His withdrew his hand from his chest for a better inspection. As he gazed downward, the sudden preoccupation allowed his breathing to slow.  
The master vampire stared at the age-old scar left in the middle of his body. The scar was a reminder of the last wound he would endure as a mortal. The last wound, which stole his humanity.  
But it was not this blemish that puzzled Kain. It was the sudden appearance of a second, much fainter scar that bewildered him. The enhanced healing of vampirism caused this scar to be so miniscule that one had to stare at the area with intense scrutiny to notice it. Anyone, that is, except the scar's bearer. To Kain, this new scar stood out like fresh blood to a starved vampire.  
As Kain gazed at this scar, he struggled to remember how he had attained the injury. It was strange, that although moments ago, he did not recall ever having the mark, but now it seemed it had been with him for as long as he could remember.  
"Is something the matter, comrade?" Vorador's voice interrupted Kain's thoughts. The vampire of the future glanced upward to notice that all the room's occupants had their eyes rested upon him. "Does something plague you? You do not seem well."  
Kain rose to his feet, feeling unease at the silently prodding eyes. "I'm fine. No need to concern yourselves with," he stammered. "It's been a while since I last fed. I believe I shall step out before the sun rises."  
"Very well," Vorador replied, excusing the shaken vampire.  
  
As cold steel sliced through cold flesh, a sickening sound of tearing tissue filled the air. With the deathblow, the fledgling Kain momentarily opened his eyes in silent agony, his hand reflexively clutching open space, before he fell silent. Jenise solemnly stepped back from the scene. The vampire's vital fluid dripped from the sides of the bed, collecting in a cold, ruby colored puddle around the bed.  
"How long do we wait?" Jenise inquired of her companion, now at her side. Her gaze never left the lifeless form under the sheets.   
Despite the scene in front of him, something else held Raziel's attention. Unseen to anyone else, flares of souls sprang out from Kain's corpse. Jenise, could not see this, but Raziel, being the reaver of souls, had a front row seat to the spectacle. For all his un-life, he wished that the warrior at his side was able to witness the marvel he was seeing.  
One by one, souls filled with energy erupted from the wound created by Jenise's sword. The souls each gave off their own glow, illuminating the room before they bolted through the ceiling and walls, headed towards their destinies. It was when Raziel counted the ninth and final soul when he gave Jenise the order.  
"Now! Pull the sword from his body!"  
Jenise snapped out of her daze and rushed to Kain's side. Grasping the hilt, she tore it from its confines within the vampire's chest. She stepped back, allowing Raziel to proceed with his portion of the plan. Raziel snapped open the box in his hands and carefully withdrew its contents. The vampire wraith stared at the still heart within his talons as he set the box on a nearby table.  
Raziel paced over to the vampire corpse, walking without notice through the blood on the ground. He lifted the Heart of Darkness over Kain's body and waited. Jenise held her breath in anticipation. This just had to work. Moments passed before Raziel felt it: a minute flicker of a heartbeat within the vital organ. Faster than he could keep up with, the heart's beat pounded harder and faster. As it did so, blood poured from the organ, the vital fluid's origins a mystery.  
The revitalizing liquid leaked into the wound in the fledge's chest. Upon contact, it sealed the injury with a burning hiss. As Kain's injury completely healed, the heart's pace slowed, until it was silent once again. Raziel stepped back, watching to ensure the vampire's survival.  
"Did...Did it work?" Jenise wondered aloud. "Will he live?"  
Raziel did not respond. He silently watched with anticipation.  
  
In the skies of Nosgoth, nine souls recently released from three and a half centuries of imprisonment flew freely in opposite directions towards their next inhabitants. Like the rest of the souls, the last flitted merrily towards its destiny. However, it was suddenly halted in mid-flight, as if intercepted by an unseen force.   
The soul seemed to struggle in midair, being pulled in two separate directions. In one direction was its destiny, to move on to its next host. The other direction was its previous fate, trapped within its parasitic confines. The soul was unable to fight off either hold on its being. One each side of the spectrum, a life was hanging in the balance, awaiting the soul for which it belonged.  
Whether it was unable to come to a decision, or whether the sheer force of the opposing forces was too great, the soul separated into two halves. Each was equal in power and size, but only half that of the original. A solution to the dilemma seeming to have been found, each soul fragment was drawn towards one of the beckoning entities.  
The first half of the soul flew onward towards its destiny. In the city of Coorhagen, nursemaids waited nervously for their mistress's newborn to show signs of life. The soul entered the infant's body and the child wailed as it drew in its first few breaths.  
The second half of the soul was pulled back towards its fate. In the slums of Meridian, two warriors overlooked the body of a vampire that should not have survived its wounds. The soul fragment reluctantly reentered the body of its former host.  
  
Dread was beginning to set in Raziel's mind. It looked as though he and Jenise might have made a grave error. He began to wonder if he had just caused his own undoing. With Kain dead, there would be no resurrecting of Sarafan priests. Caught up in this new turmoil, Raziel almost didn't notice the flicker of energy crash down into the vampire's body. A slight twitch of Kain's fingertips confirmed what Raziel saw.  
"He's alive. He'll be fine," the former vampire spoke with relief. Jenise let out the breath she had been holding.  
"Did it work?" Jenise repeated her first question.  
Raziel nodded. "Yes. Nine souls left Kain's body. When he killed the other pillar guardians, he also drank their blood. And in turn, he absorbed their life essence. Their souls had been trapped within him, unable to be reborn into new guardians. That is why the Elder God, the spectre Ariel, and Moebius have all been after me to kill Kain. The souls of the guardians could not be freed until he died."  
"But how did you know all that?"  
"I...really didn't know until now, to tell the truth. I simply witnessed this as the event unfolded. However, I did know that new guardians would not be born unless Kain was killed."  
  
The future Lord of Nosgoth wandered the empty corridors of the Cabal mansion. With dawn approaching, most vampires had retired for the daylight hours. Kain's thoughts were still on the unexplained appearance of the scar over his heart. As he ventured aimlessly, he found himself outside the west wing. A pungent smell of blood alerted his senses. But it wasn't living blood he smelled. It was dead blood.  
Kain hastily ran down the west hall, the stench growing stronger and stronger until he came to an open doorway. He stared at the scene before him. Jenise and Raziel stood overlooking the body of his past self. A large puddle of blood lay drying on the floor. And a bloodied sword rested in Jenise's hands. The master vampire glared angrily at their unsuspecting backs.  
  
Raziel placed the Heart of Darkness back in the safety of its container. "Now that new guardians have been born, we must travel to the future and seek them out."  
Jenise nodded in agreement and glanced up at Raziel. She saw him frozen in his tracks, staring at the doorway. The priestess spun on her heels towards the portal. Her eyes widened with fear at the site of a very angry vampire lord.  
"Kain. I thought you were attending Vorador's meeting..." Raziel greeted his sire with contempt for his intrusion.  
"I was attending the conference, until I began experiencing a peculiar sensation...in my heart..." the master vampire growled, heavily emphasizing the last three words. "So was this your plan the entire time? To betray me by killing my past self? Were you so willing to sacrifice your very existence Raziel?"  
Jenise jumped between Kain and Raziel before the latter could utter a rebuttal. "Don't be so naive! Raziel would not sacrifice himself to see you erased from the world! You should be thanking us for being gracious enough to let you live!"  
Kain's anger grew tenfold at the priestess's bold words. Faster than one could blink, the back of his hand whipped across Jenise's right cheek. The force sent her flying across the room where she landed in a disorientated heap. She slowly sat upright, clutching her face. She bit back the stinging tears of pain that threatened to reveal her weakness.  
"Insolent wench! Do not dare tell me that my life rests in the hands of a Sarafan!"  
The priestess responded with a silent, but hate-filled glare. She remained on the ground, too shocked by the vampire's strength. She had been overpowered in the past, but never before had she felt so weak. Raziel stepped in on behalf of his fallen ally.  
"If you ever lay harm to her again, I shall see to it that I complete the task with which the Elder God assigned me," the reaver threatened.   
Kain glared at his creation, judging Raziel's sincerity. The wraith blade tingled with hunger at the prospect of devouring such a powerful soul. Jenise had finally overcome her shock, and joined Raziel's threatening pose with one of her own. She lifted her bloody sword enough for Kain to acknowledge the fact that it was his own blood on the blade. Though the thought of a challenging battle thrilled him, Kain conceded.  
"I shall let her live...for now. But only because I know she has further purpose. After she proves her usefulness, I can't make any promises," the vampire lord warned.  
Jenise's glare did not falter during Kain's taunt, though inwardly she felt unease at his words. She tried her best to act as if his threat meant nothing to her.  
"Let's go, Raziel. I'd rather not waste anymore of my time here. We have much more important tasks to accomplish," the priestess suggested as she sheathed her weapon, intentionally leaving the vital fluid on the blade.   
As the duo left the room, Jenise brushed by Kain as a final demonstration of her defiance. Kain bared his teeth in response. As the allied warriors exited the room, Kain turned towards them and halted their departure with a query.  
"Tell me, Raziel, when you travel to the future, how do you intend on finding the new pillar guardians?"  
Raziel stopped in his tracks, realizing that he and Jenise had not accounted for that part of their scheme. Kain continued.  
"Unfortunately for you, you'll require my assistance. Being a pillar guardian myself, I am more attuned to their energies than both of you combined."  
"We need no help from you, Kain," sneered the former vampire. "We can manage on our own."  
"But will you be able to locate all the pillar guardians before it is too late?"  
Raziel was again found without answers. His silence to Kain's inquiry was worrisome to the priestess.  
"Raziel, don't tell me you're considering accepting his help."  
"Who says I was offering my help?"  
Raziel glared over his shoulder at his sire momentarily, before turning towards his ally.  
"Kain has a valid point. We'll need his help if we are to find the guardians within a reasonable amount of time."  
"Then it is settled," Kain replied with a victorious tone to his voice. "With the setting of the sun tonight, we shall depart for the future."  
  
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Review Response:  
  
Concept of a Demon: Did this chapter help clear things up a bit? As for altering history and requiring a paradox...well, who's to say this couldn't be the result of the paradox at the end of SR2? The events of BO2 are the result of said paradox, and as you can see, much of my story revolves around the BO2 timeline.  
  
Lilith: Muahahahahahahaha! Yes! I am truly, truly evil! I've had this planned out for weeks! As for your threat...you can plainly see it was effective, though I believe it was your turn to update next. But seeing as how you posted four chapters consecutively, I'll let you off the hook. I bet you didn't think you'd see me update so soon, huh? Anyway...was your suspicion right? 


	37. The Search

Author's note: This chapter is a long one...so get comfy! Also, words enclosed in ' ' indicate thought. (As opposed to " " meaning speech.)  
  
Chapter Thirty-Seven  
  
With the setting of the sun, Raziel, Kain, and Jenise departed the massive mansion in the slums of Meridian. Jenise had left Malia in the care of Aldreah. Upon Kain's insistence, the Heart of Darkness was to be left in Vorador's protection. Raziel had been wary of heeding such a decision. With the Heart out of his hands, he had no idea what would come of it, especially if it were to be used to restore Janos Audron. However, Kain convinced his first born to relinquish custody of the artifact.  
Thanks to the master vampire's teleportation ability, travel became simply too easy, especially for Raziel and Jenise, whom previously had been hoofing their journeys on foot. The trio teleported to the nearest time chamber. Kain watched disdainfully as Jenise activated the device with near precision. The chamber hummed with life and each warrior placed a hand on the central switch. Instantly, they were transported fifty years forward in time. Upon their arrival, they set out to find the new pillar guardians.  
  
A lone traveler walked the dimly lit streets of Nachtholm, on his way home for the evening. The man approached his doorstep, when he felt the presence of someone watching him. He turned about, to face three strangers standing in the center of the street.  
"Who are you and why have you followed me?" the man demanded with authority. Obviously he was of high respect in this city. The three shadowed figures did not answer him at first. They silently scrutinized him. The man started to become agitated.  
"Are you sure it is him?" one of the three asked of another, ignoring the subject's earlier question.  
"I am certain," came another masculine voice.  
"Tell me what this is about!" the man began to grow angry. The shortest figure approached him slowly, the shadows slipping away in the light to reveal a woman's face. The man seemed to calm a bit with the visual confirmation of at least one of his pursuers.  
"Are you the one called Galen?" Jenise inquired, eyeing him suspiciously. The man was most definitely of a higher stature in this town. He had impeccable taste in clothing. His age, threw Jenise off. He only appeared to be in his mid thirties and in excellent health.  
"What of it?" demanded the man.  
"Tell me. Have you noticed any unique abilities you may happen to possess?"  
Galen's mind wandered momentarily at the sudden question. As a child, he had been able to goad other children into quarreling with each other. He had found it amusing to watch them bicker over trinkets and such, until the one day it got out of hand.   
When he was eight, he was swimming in a brook with his brothers. His siblings began to fight with each other, and Galen thought it funny to coax them further. The elder brother's rage grew to such a point, that Galen found he could not calm him. He ran to get help and when he returned, his younger brother had been found dead, drowned by the hands of his eldest brother.  
As Galen grew older, so did his powers. He had noticed that he could manipulate the relationship between to forces, for better or for worse. As his abilities developed, he used his power for better, influencing compromises and treaties between individuals, and later in life, between villages. He had no desire to be the influence that resulted in ruining more innocent lives.  
"And what if I have noticed such things?" Galen asked curiously as he came out of his stupor.  
"Then you have been chosen."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Do you know of the Pillars of Nosgoth?"  
"Who doesn't?" he snapped.  
Jenise ignored his rudeness. "You have been chosen as the Guardian of Conflict."  
  
"Do you think this one will be as difficult to convince?" Jenise asked her comrade.   
Raziel did not answer. Instead, he continued to gaze downward from their rooftop view towards the street below. The streets were busy with merchants peddling their goods and customers were busy selecting the best of items.   
Kain, disguised as a nobleman, stood in an alley, leaning patiently against a wall, watching passersby with disinterest. The market crowd made it difficult to pinpoint his target. Suddenly, a woman appearing to be in her late twenties approached the vampire. Her long, silky bright orange dress, stitched in a simple design seemed to stand out against the rest of the crowd.  
"You seem to be looking for someone," she replied.  
Kain rose to attention. "You are..."  
"Sophia. But you should already know that."  
The vampire flashed a toothy grin. "But of course. So, should I explain myself to you?"  
"Why should you have to? You projected your thoughts so clearly, I could hear them from four blocks away, even over the bustle of the market crowds." Sophia replied. "I know you have been looking for me."  
"Yes. You are indeed the Guardian of the Mind. And you are a strong one at that."  
  
In the city of Meridian, a town official held conference with Sarafan knights.  
"I don't care if those gates are meant to wield off vampires! They are destroying the health of the land in and around the city!" the official declared.  
"They have been erected by the Sarafan Lord's order," rebutted a glyph knight. "And by his order, they shall remain."  
On that final note, the knights departed. The town official slinked into his chair, exhausted from the debate. For a moment, he felt older than his age. In actuality, he appeared at least ten years younger than his true age. Many wondered how he could stay so fit.   
He reached into his liquor cabinet and pulled out a glass and a bottle of bourbon, hoping to ease his nerves with a drink. Suddenly, the door to his office sprang open once again. Thinking it was the Sarafan knights, returned to harass him a second turn, he spun in his chair to the portal.  
"What is it now?" But when he faced the trespassers, he was taken by surprise. "I'm sorry. Was there something I could do for you?"  
"The glyph gates...you are displeased with their presence?" Raziel inquired from beneath his cloak.  
The official rose to his feet. "Yes! The energy they emit not only deflects vampires, but somehow, it is destroying the state of the land! They must be torn down, or else Meridian will become an empty city in the midst of a barren wasteland!"  
"Join us, and we shall see to it that the gates are destroyed," offered the vampire wraith.  
The official studied the trio momentarily. "Though I haven't an idea who you three are, I feel I can trust you. My name is Cosmo, governor of Meridian."  
"And Guardian of the States."  
  
The outskirts of Vasserbunde seemed to have been blessed with good fortune. The past several decades seemed to thrive with vegetation and wildlife. In the midst of the tranquil forests, a girl in her late teens sat amongst the squirrels and birds, humming peacefully to herself. She was lost in thought, and didn't at first notice the shadow that had suddenly cast over her.  
The girl snapped out of her daze, and looked up to see someone looking down on her. She could not make out the owner's face, for the bright sun silhouetted the person's figure.  
"Hello," the girl muttered, drawing a hand up to shield her eyes from the sun.  
"Alma?"  
"Yes. That's my name. Who are you?"  
"You don't know me. My name is Jenise. My friends and I have been looking for you."  
"Have I done something wrong?"  
"Not at all. You are a very special person. I can see that from the forest around you."  
"I...I didn't mean to make the forest grow like this. It just...sort of...happened..." Alma tried to explain timidly.  
"Why are you afraid?" Jenise tried to calm her. "I'm not angry at you."  
"You mean...you're not going to hurt me?"  
"Why would I do that?"  
"The villagers...they hate me. They try to hurt me...because of my curse."  
"Your curse? Why, this is a gift! This forest is beautiful!" Jenise reasoned.  
The girl blushed. "I'm glad somebody thinks so. Someone other than my cousin, that is. He seems to be the only one that understands me. Why are you looking for me anyway?"  
"Because of your gift...your influence over wildlife. You're the Guardian of Nature."  
  
Raziel and Kain approached Vasserbunde's sorcery guild. Kain had sensed the presence of a second guardian within the city. When the girl Alma declared that her cousin seemed to have a 'gift' as well, the vampire lord was deeply interested. Raziel reached for the guild door, but found it would not open. The duo rounded the edifice, in search of another entrance, but instead found two mages speaking to one another.  
"Drogo? Drogo, are you okay?" one young man asked the other.  
"Yes. I'm fine. I'm sorry to cut you off so soon, but I must be going. There is someone waiting for me."  
"Okay. I understand. I'll be seeing you tomorrow then." When his friend departed, Drogo turned towards the strong presence he had been sensing.  
"I feel a strong aura of death in the air," he announced aloud, seemingly to himself.   
But his words were not spoken needlessly. Two figures revealed themselves from behind a group of trees. Kain and Raziel approached the mage of his early twenties. Drogo carefully studied the pair before speaking.  
"The scent of death wreaks from both of your beings," Drogo spoke. "Death by your hands, and the smell of your own deaths. Yours," he turned towards Raziel, "was excruciating..."  
"Are you not Drogo?" Raziel interrupted, intent on getting to the point.  
"Yes. Why do you ask?"  
"We were curious...what abilities as a mage do you possess?"  
"If you have come to me with ill intentions..." Drogo let the threat hang in the air.  
"No. Our intentions are pure. We just need to know if you are one we seek," replied Raziel.  
Drogo sighed. Many had come to him with requests. Requests that he would not fulfill. He knew his gifts were a blessing, and were to be used nobly. Not for selfish purposes.  
"If I show you my abilities, will you not exploit me for my power?"  
"We have come to you with a noble purpose," Kain reassured the mage.  
"Fine then."  
Drogo calmly walked over to a nearby tree and picked something up off the ground. He returned to Kain and Raziel. In his left palm was the body of a hatchling sparrow, having fallen to its death earlier in the day. Drogo took his right index finger, and gently placed on the hatchling, then withdrew his finger. Suddenly, the hatchling came to life, crying for its mother. Kain and Raziel watched this with amazement.  
"This is my gift; to bestow life to the dead. But giving life to the dead is unnatural," Drogo proclaimed.   
In that instant, the baby bird chirped on last time before death retook its hold. The bird's body withered and disintegrated into dust, the slight breeze carrying away the remains. They stood quiet for a moment; only the sound of Drogo's robes snapping in the wind filled the air.  
"The two of you, are both living an unnatural existence. Because of that, I cannot help you. I'm sorry." Drogo turned to leave.  
"Alma has decided to help us. Why can't you?" Raziel called out.  
Drogo stopped and turned back. "My cousin, Alma? Why would she help you?"  
"We are searching for the pillar guardians of Nosgoth. Alma is the Guardian of Nature. And we have discovered that you are the Guardian of Death."  
  
Raziel and Jenise entered the town of Ziegsturhl as dusk approached. Kain had told them that one of the guardians resided in the quiet town. This guardian possessed one of the strongest auras of the circle, a good indication that his powers were more developed than the rest.   
The master vampire had warned the duo of the dangers of this village. For Ziegsturhl was the village where a band of brigands had murdered Kain as a human. The streets here were filled with thieves and criminals.  
The former vampire and priestess wandered the streets for any signs of the guardian. They rounded a corner, stumbling upon a robbery in action. A group of six crooks had cornered a man of his late forties, threatening him with swords and scabbards. Knowing the man hadn't a fighting chance against the odds, Jenise went to run to his aid. Raziel caught her wrist and pulled her back.  
"Wait," he replied as the simple explanation for his actions.  
Jenise turned her attention back to the man as the criminals closed in on him. However, the man was able to use his own spiritual energy to ward off the thieves. He assailed them with wave after wave of his power, sending them soaring through the air. After the third defensive strike, the criminals realized the futility of their botched burglary, and fled the scene.  
The man took a moment to dust his sleeves of the dirt from the brigands. "Might the two of you also be interested in experiencing a demonstration of my power? Or is a third person perspective sufficient enough?" the man query was directed towards Jenise and Raziel, though he didn't look up in their direction.  
Jenise's jaw was agape at the display of power. Had Raziel not stopped her, she would have been an innocent victim of the attack. She hesitantly took a step towards the man.  
"The observation alone was quite impressive, but no, I do not wish to share the same experience those criminals foolishly committed themselves to facing."  
"What they experienced was only a fraction of my power. Be that a warning to them, or any who try to take advantage of me."  
Raziel's eyes narrowed at the man's arrogance, but remained silent. He left the talking to Jenise. She would be able to gain his trust much easier.  
"Yes. And I hope they learned their lesson well. As for my comrade and I, we are in search of someone in this village."  
"Oh? And do you know whom it is you seek? I've lived here for most of my life, and have come to know most of the residents. Perhaps I can be of some assistance," the man offered.  
"Actually, I believe we have found him already. You are Lord Roshan, correct?"  
"Why yes! How did you know?"  
"Your reputation precedes you," Jenise flattered him with a little fib. "You are a wizard with awesome power. So great is your strength that the highest regards on your behalf have reached as far as Uschtenhiem."  
This claim really seemed to butter up Roshan. "Ah! So I am known that far, eh?"  
"Yes. My associate and I have come searching for you. It seems that the power you possess could belong to no other..."  
"None other than whom?"  
"None other than the Guardian of Energy."  
  
Kain stood on the cliffs overlooking Uschtenhiem. Somewhere within this city was the next guardian. Reaching out with his vampire senses, he could sense the general area where the guardian was. The master vampire teleported himself to the location and found himself standing outside a small temple.  
The future lord of Nosgoth silently stepped inside the candlelit place of worship. At the far end of the chamber, a solitaire man sat cross-legged at the base of a shrine. The man, obviously a monk, seemed to be in a deep trance, and took no notice to Kain's arrival. The vampire lord casually strolled up to the monk. Just as Kain was about to reach out to touch the man's shoulder, the monk opened his eyes and looked up into Kain's golded irises.  
"Have you come here to pray as well?" he inquired.  
Kain released a deep-throated chuckle. "Hardly. I have no need for such trivial acts. Do you really believe the gods hear your banter anyway?"  
"Whether they hear me or not, is not the point. The point is to have faith."  
"And what good is faith if your prayers are not answered?"  
"All I can hope is that they are. I have seen things. Disturbing things. Things that even your worst nightmares cannot conjure up..."  
"I'm certain you haven't seen anything as wicked as I," replied Kain.  
"I wouldn't be certain of that. I have seen creatures...demons of another world. I have watched them from my mind's eye over the past decade. I have not witnessed them firsthand, but I know they exist. The visions are too real. These creatures...they plan on attacking our world. I have seen them preparing. They will be here soon. I hope that someone will stop them before it is too late. That is why I pray."  
"Then consider your prayers answered."  
The monk stared at Kain in confusion. "What do you mean? Do you plan to stop them?"  
The master vampire grinned an all-knowing smile.   
"Yes, with your help, Nobu, Guardian of Dimension."  
  
The reaver of souls wandered the dark streets of Steinchencroe. The vast city seemed deserted of its occupants at this time of night. He had been searching for over an hour. If only Kain had accompanied him, perhaps the search could be narrowed down a bit. Frustrated, the vampire wraith decided to turn back. Though he loathed the idea of asking for Kain's help, the length of his search was getting ridiculous.  
"Raziel...Redeemer and destroyer...Pawn and messiah..."  
To hear those words stung Raziel like a thousand hot needles piercing the tender flesh beneath one's foot. The former vampire spun on his heel to face the owner of the voice. However, he was not met with the face of the one who had last spoken those words to him. In Moebius's place, was a woman of about forty years of age. She seemed to be studying him, as if she knew who he was, but could not recognize him.  
"Those were the words used by my predecessor to describe you, correct?" she asked of Raziel.  
"Taliba? But how did you know I'd find you here?"  
"Who's to say you found me? What if it is I who has found you? I have seen the past Raziel, as well as the future. And many years ago, I had foreseen this moment as well. I know of your quest to restore Nosgoth. I know that if not for you, I would not exist to this day. I know your acquaintances Kain and Jenise have traveled to this time with you as well. They are waiting for our arrival with the rest of the guardians."  
Raziel stared at her with scrutiny. "Do not act as though you know me," he growled untrustingly. "Your predecessor claimed to have known me as well, and the most he cared for me was to use me as another pawn in his grand scheme."  
"Yes. I am aware of this. And I am not proud of that fact. I can only hope that the actions of my life can regain the nobility and respect my pillar deserves."  
"I shall hope for the same thing, Guardian of Time."  
  
Raziel led Taliba to the Pillars of Nosgoth. There, Kain and Jenise had indeed been waiting for their arrival as Taliba had said. The other guardians; Drogo, Alma, Cosmo, Galen, Sophia, Nobu, and Roshan; were all gathered there as well.  
"Finally they're here!" Jenise greeted the newcomers. The already present guardians turned their attention to the newest arrival.  
Raziel strolled up to the group. "Yes, and with Kain as the ninth guardian, we can finally move on to the next step."  
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Raziel," Taliba interrupted, "but Kain cannot take part."  
"Why not?"  
"He is not of this time. Only the guardians of the current time period can fulfill the task."  
"Then we shall find the Kain of this time," Jenise suggested.  
"I'm afraid not," the future lord of Nosgoth proclaimed. "My past self is slashing his way through the eternal prison at this moment. He has his own quest to fulfill. Even if he could put it off for a moment, we are still unable to reach him at this time."  
"Are you saying we went through all this for nothing?" Raziel demanded irately of his sire.  
"No. Not necessarily. There is one more I am sensing," Kain commented. "Ironically, this energy, so similar to my own, originates in Coorhagen."  
  
Dawn broke over the city of nobles. The citizens began their daily routines. The lords of Coorhagen bartered with each other while their wives gathered to gossip. The servants went about their daily tasks serving the wealthy, while the children readied themselves for their lessons. All the children, that is, except for one.  
The child of about thirteen years frolicked aimlessly about the town, headed towards her favorite spot: a grassy hill overlooking a quietly flowing stream. It was a tranquil place where she could be free of the stresses of life. She often liked to visit this spot before her rigorous day of chores. As she skipped by two Ladies of high stature, she caught their attention and she became the subject of their gossip.  
"There she goes! The child I was telling you about!" the first told the second, whom had just moved to the city.  
"Her? Why she looks perfectly normal to me..."  
"Yes, but looks are deceiving. How old do you take her to be?"  
"I'm not certain, but I'd say she was about twelve or thirteen..."  
"Nope! She's older than the both of us put together!"  
"What? How can that be?"  
"It's true! She's nearly fifty years old!"  
"Now that's a whopper of a story!" the Lady laughed heartily. "You certainly had me going there for a moment!"  
The first woman did not share in the mirth of the second. For her word was the truth. The second realized her error as her laughter came to a halt.  
"You...you really mean it? It's not a joke?" the second inquired.  
"No it's not a joke! She hasn't aged a day since she reached adolescence. Or so my mother has told me. If it wasn't for the fact that she goes swimming in that creek everyday, I would swear that she was a vampire!"  
The girl, her age well beyond her appearance, finally arrived at her private sanctum. She sat on the small ridge just above the stream. She removed her shoes and dipped her toes into the cool waters. With a relaxing sigh, she leaned back to lie upon the ground, placing her hands behind her head for support.   
She kicked her feet in the water as she watched the puffy white clouds change form in the skies overhead. With a much stronger kick, the girl flung water in a wave of droplets, sending them arching across the air over the stream below. Simultaneous with this act, was an audible hiss of pain from the opposite bank.  
"Foolish girl! Do you realize how much that stung?"  
The girl rose to a sitting position, startled by the sudden voice. She looked across the brook, to see a man with long silver hair, clutching the left side of his face. As he pulled his hand away, the girl could discern what appeared to be burn marks, before they inexplicably vanished. The girl tipped her head sideways, blinking with confusion.  
Kain leapt across the stream and looked down upon the girl. She rose to a standing position and stared inquisitively at the stranger. Kain narrowed his eyes at her disdainfully.  
"What? Why are you staring at me?" the vampire demanded. The girl replied with a single blink. "Why do you not answer me? Has a cat got your tongue?"  
At that comment, the girl finally broke eye contact with Kain. She gazed down towards the water, a solemn look on her face. Kain could not see her downcast face, but a quiet sniffle told him that she was trying to fight back tears.  
"What is wrong with you? Why do you not speak?"  
The girl looked back up at Kain, this time with tears brimming in her eyes. She looked almost pleading to him. He didn't know how to respond to this child. He thought this was the one he sought after, but she seemed so frail and weak. The adolescent suddenly grabbed Kain's right hand and tugged at it. He held it tight to his side.  
"What are you doing?"  
She pointed at her forehead with her left hand, and tugged again at his arm. Seeming to understand her intentions, Kain allowed her to move his hand. Upon doing so, she placed his palm on her forehead and concentrated. After a moment, he could hear a voice in his head.  
'You are the vampire Kain, correct?'  
"Yes."  
'Then you are him...my other half...'  
"Other half?"  
'Yes. You and I...we share the same soul. Only, you seem different. You feel...out of place...'  
"That is correct. I am the future version of the Kain from this era."  
'Then you have been searching for me.'  
"Indeed I have."  
'Then let us depart.'  
"You don't need to run any last errands before we leave?"  
'No. I have been ready for this moment. The girl shall understand.'  
"The girl?"  
'Yes. The girl. I am trapped within her body. She has not yet realized her purpose in this life. Until she does, she will remain in her current form and her power will not be released.'  
"You are this power within her then?"  
'Correct. And when she learns her destiny, I shall be united with her rather than imprisoned within her.'  
Kain removed his palm from the girl's forehead, severing the telepathic connection. "Okay, Rauha. I've made my decision. We need you to help us in our cause, but until your sleeping power awakens, we cannot continue. I must convince you that you are the Guardian of Balance."  
  
******************************************************************  
  
Author's notes: Whew! That was a doozy of a chapter! I hope the length was worth the wait! Speaking of which, I'm sorry it took so long! I had to do a wee bit of research. I wanted to get an idea of what each of the guardian's abilities are. I also did some research for the guardians' names. Here's a recap of who's who, and what their names mean:  
  
Balance - Rauha (Finnish meaning peace)  
Time - Taliba (Arabic meaning knowledge)  
Death - Drogo (German meaning ghost)  
Nature - Alma (Latin meaning nurturing)  
States - Cosmo (Italian meaning order)  
Conflict - Galen (English meaning calm)  
Mind - Sophia (Greek meaning wisdom)  
Dimension - Nobu (Japanese meaning expansion)  
Energy - Roshan (Arabic meaning light)  
  
Do you think their names suit them? And to clear one thing up: They are all the same age (about 50 year old), but their age appearances are all different. Depending on when they discovered their abilities and how developed their powers are determines the appearance of their ages.  
Anyway, this big long chapter is dedicated to all my reviewers! Thanks for all your support and advice! 


	38. Guardians United

Chapter Thirty-Eight  
  
Kain was about at the end of his rope. He had tried all he could think of to convince Rauha that she was the new balance guardian. It did not help matters that she hadn't a clue what the pillars were in the first place. Kain found himself giving the new guardian a crash course on the recent history of the pillars.  
  
Kain's difficulties did not end there. Rauha's carefree spirit was like splinters beneath the vampire's skin. The girl seemed not to care about the fact that she was a guardian, let alone the most important one. Every time Kain attempted to get through to her, Rauha's attention was elsewhere, whether it was watching the sky or chasing butterflies through the field.  
  
Kain had also quickly discovered, that for one reason or another, Rauha could not speak. This only added fuel to Kain's fire of frustration. He had no way of knowing if any of the information he had given his pupil had sunk in.  
  
Desperate, Kain had even attempted establishing a mind link with the entity within Rauha. As he tried to do so, Rauha struggled against Kain, but the stronger vampire won out. When he overcame the child's tantrum, he placed his hand on her forehead once again and waited. But he heard nothing. He waited a moment longer before releasing Rauha. The girl bolted from Kain's grasp and immediately headed towards a patch of dandelions.  
  
Kain thought about his predicament a moment while watching Rauha gather a fistful of the yellow flowers. Perhaps he could not initiate a conversation with the spirit within her. Perhaps only Rauha could. Or maybe the spirit itself?  
  
The sun had traveled across the sky to indicate early afternoon. Realizing this, Kain had decided he had wasted enough time trying to get through to this girl. Whether she realized who she was or not, he was just going to take Rauha to the pillars and let Raziel and Jenise deal with her. He was not a babysitter anyway.  
  
"Rauha, it's time to go," Kain tried to speak to her as calmly as possible as he approached the crouching youth.   
  
The thirteen year old rose to her feet and turned towards Kain with a wide smile on her face. Kain sneered at her cheerful expression. Rauha thrust a bouquet of thirty or so dandelions towards Kain, offering them as a gift.  
  
"What use are those to me? I do not need those weeds."  
  
Rauha's smile faded at Kain's refusal. Her arms dropped down in front of her, barely clutching the flowers. She drooped her head down and tried to stifle her tears, but could not prevent the barely audible sniffle. Kain sighed in exasperation. This was the last thing he needed.  
  
"Alright. If it makes you feel any better, I...like...those flowers."  
  
Rauha's head snapped up, the bright smile had returned despite the stillborn tear in her eye. She thrust the flowers once again towards Kain, who this time, reluctantly accepted them. Unexpectedly to Kain, Rauha wrapped her hand around one of his massive claws. He was slightly taken back by her boldness, but he figured this would be easier for him than chasing her down. Concentrating, the vampire cast his teleportation spell and they vanished from sight.  
  
Raziel had paced from one end of the pillar base to the other for about the millionth time. Jenise had sat quietly and watched him with an amused expression on her face. He could get so worked up at times. Though, Kain had been gone quite a long time now. The reaver of souls hadn't taken nearly this long to find Taliba.  
  
The guardians had passed the time by introducing themselves to each other, since from this point onward; they would be a vital part of each other's lives. Along with telling each other a little about their lives, they had also given demonstrations of their powers. Most of them anyway.   
  
Drogo refused because of his beliefs that the dead should remain dead like they were intended. The wizard Roshan refused to demonstrate his power, but for less noble purposes. Once he had found that no one in the group had heard of him, the great Roshan, he withdrew from the group. Instead he watched quietly from the side, angry that Jenise had figured him out so easily. Nobu, who was from Uschtenhiem, had never even heard of him either.  
  
Taliba had demonstrated her power by looking into the past and reciting a moment of a few of the guardians' histories. Sophia read a few of the other guardians' minds, with their permission. Nobu foretold the participating guardians how their lost loved ones were doing in the dimension of the afterlife.  
  
Cosmo used his power to cleanse a patch of the ground of its toxins. Alma showed her abilities by vitalizing the previously cleansed earth with grass, flowers and shrubbery. When Galen was asked to demonstrate his abilities, he said he had been doing so the entire time. When he was questioned about this, he simply stated that it had been nearly two hours since Raziel and Jenise teased or bickered each other. The groups shared a chuckle over this, including Roshan, who had almost completely gotten over his anger.  
  
The group suddenly went silent as a new presence was felt, along with Kain's returning presence. Raziel stopped in his pacing and stared expectantly at the pillar gates. Kain slowly made his way towards the pillars with Rauha still grasping his talon and the bouquet of dandelions in his other hand. As he came into view, Raziel released a chuckle he could no longer suppress.  
  
"If I had known you were out on a date, I wouldn't have been so impatient for your arrival, Kain," snorted the reaver of souls.  
  
Kain growled with irritation as Rauha released Kain's hand and ran off towards the pillars. Kain watched her go as she ran passed the other eight guardians towards the new object of fascination.  
  
"Aw, she's so cute Kain!" Jenise added with a laugh. "Where did you find her?"  
  
"In Coorhagen, like I said," Kain growled quietly between gritted teeth.  
  
Some of the other guardians tried to introduce themselves to Rauha, but the young girl seemed to be ignoring them as she stared in awe at each of the pillars. Alma was the most persistent of the guardians, being grateful that she was no longer the youngest looking of the group. Not that that was a bad thing, but when you look like a child, you tend to get treated like one.  
  
The remainder of the guardians watched in puzzlement at the odd behavior of their newest member. Rauha's strange antics raised a few questions and concerns. Taliba and Roshan approached Kain with these concerns.  
  
"Is that young girl the last guardian?" Roshan inquired.  
  
Kain turned his attention from Raziel and Jenise. "Yes. She is, without a doubt," he added for emphasis, "the guardian of Balance."  
  
"But she still seems to be...such a...child," Taliba persisted.  
  
The master vampire sighed...humans and their idiocy. "She is still yet unaware of her duties. But you, time guardian, should be able to 'see' that she is indeed the Balance guardian."  
  
Taliba took the hint offered to her. She closed her eyes in concentration. The group in her immediate presence, except for Kain, waited patiently for her confirmation. After a few long moments, she opened her eyes with a look of surprise on her face.  
  
"She is. She truly is the balance guardian. All we have to do to get her to realize that is-" The time guardian was cut off by a crippling shockwave, followed by a blinding white light.  
  
While Taliba was looking into Rauha's future, the girl had been circling the balance pillar, studying it meticulously with curiosity. As the time guardian was about to unlock the secret to helping Rauha, the girl placed both her palms on the pillar and closed her eyes. At that moment, the shockwave erupted from the balance pillar, outwards towards the pillar gates, knocking all of the guardians unconscious.   
  
Kain, being a guardian as well, suffered from the shockwave as well. Being a vampire, and being not from this era, he was weakened from the blow, but not unconscious. Raziel and Jenise seemed unaffected from the shockwave, but the blinding light was another story. Once their vision returned, they were left in utter disbelief.  
  
Rauha opened her eyes and found herself in a blank, white vastness. She sat up off the ground, looking around with worried eyes.  
  
"Do not be afraid Rauha," a woman's reassuring voice filled the void.  
  
Rauha spun around, and found a mysterious woman standing before her. She wore a pure white silk cloak that hid her identity. Rauha stared at her with wide eyes.  
  
"Rauha, do you know where you are?"  
  
The girl shook her head 'no'.  
  
"This vastness we are now in is inside the pillar of balance."  
  
Rauha stared questioningly at the woman.  
  
"You may speak your mind her, child. In this place, you are not bound by your limitations."  
  
Rauha opened her mouth, but was hesitant with doubt. "W-why...a-are...we...here?" she struggled the words, surprised that she had actually spoken.  
  
The woman smiled with pride at the girl's achievement. "Rauha, you are here because you must realize your destiny."  
  
"M-my...des-tiny?"  
  
"Do you know what the Pillars of Nosgoth are?"  
  
"Kain...told me...some..." Rauha replied in thought of the vampire's lectures.  
  
"Yes. The pillars keep Nosgoth healthy and uncorrupt. Each pillar has a guardian. Many years ago, there was treachery within the circle of guardians. This caused Nosgoth to fill with corruption. Because of this corruption, a predatory race of beings is trying to invade our world. If they succeed, they will enslave the human race."  
  
"But...why...am I...here?"  
  
"The pillars have new guardians now. And they have all been gathered to fulfill their duties as guardians. They have been waiting for the last guardian, the balance guardian. And now you have arrived."  
  
Rauha was silent a moment as she made the connection. "B-but...I am not...the...guar-dian! I am...just a...girl!"  
  
"Rauha, you are the guardian of balance. You are the most important of the guardians. I know this may seem to be a large burden for you to bear, but you must accept your destiny."  
  
"How would...you know my...destiny!"  
  
"I have known since they day you were born. I've been with you since your first cry, since you first opened your eyes to the world around you."  
  
Rauha's eyes widened in surprise. The woman's voice was unmistakably familiar to her. And the woman's claim to have known her could only mean one thing.  
  
"Are you...are you her?" the girl inquired timidly.  
  
The woman nodded with a smile. She pulled back her cloak, to reveal her identity to the girl. The woman was beautiful, blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. Rauha recognized her instantly.  
  
"You are! You are...the one from my...dreams!" she cried as she ran up to the woman. Rauha confronted the woman with a desperate hug. The woman gently returned the embrace.  
  
"I-I never thought...I would...really meet you... I know I am...the guardian...but...I'm afraid..."  
  
"I know it may seem frightening, but do not worry, Rauha. As my predecessor, I know you shall fulfill your destiny with excellence."  
  
As the shockwave passed, and the blinding light subsided, Raziel and Jenise found the guardians temporarily unconscious, and found Kain very disorientated. One by one, the guardians began to rise to their feet. At first, it seemed as though nothing had happened, but the guardians began to sense a change within themselves.  
  
The three onlookers seemed to notice this change as well. They could sense that the guardians' powers and abilities had somehow been elevated to their peaks. But at the same time, their powers had been balanced out so that they were all equal in their strengths and weaknesses. Not so obvious to their onlookers, was that they could all sense the newly acquired connection taking hold between them.  
  
The last of the guardians to rise from slumber was Rauha. However, she seemed to have had the most drastic change. This was what shocked Raziel and Jenise the most, as well as the rest of the group. Rauha no longer took the form of a thirteen-year-old girl. She seemed to have aged by at least ten years in a matter of moments. The power that radiated off her was magnificent.  
  
Rauha approached her audience with silence. Kain and Raziel were the two with the most disbelief. Her appearance and aura seemed strikingly familiar, yet at the same time, unique to herself.  
  
Kain could not help but voice his thoughts. "You look almost like-"  
  
"Ariel," the new balance guardian confirmed. 


	39. Activating the Pillars

Chapter Thirty-Nine  
  
Kain and Raziel were in disbelief at how similar Rauha seemed to Ariel. The once speechless girl was now a young woman with power radiating from her being.  
  
"Rauha...what happened to you?" Kain stuttered.  
  
"I have realized my true identity and my destiny. As Ariel's predecessor, I am also her reincarnate," she explained, then turned to Raziel and Jenise. "I believe you have a mission for us."  
  
Raziel snapped out of his stupor. "Yes. Now that all of you are here, we can proceed to the final step of our goal; restoring Nosgoth. Now all we need, Kain, is the Soul Reaver."  
  
Kain was silent momentarily. Raziel turned towards his sire. "You do have the blade, do you not?"  
  
"Why would you need the blade? You are the reaver of souls! You have possession of the wraith blade! Why would you need the physical blade?"  
  
"Janos said it himself: the pillars are the lock and the Reaver is the key. I need the Soul Reaver to activate the pillars. If you do not have the Reaver with you now, then where is it?"  
  
"I saw to it that history was not further altered. In my history, William the Just, who was supposed to have become the Nemesis, stumbles across the blade. Armed with it, and I with my own, we engage in a battle that seals his fate, thus resulting in vampire genocide. As much as I would have liked to avert that from happening, doing so may have resulted in my nonexistence. Therefore, I made the sacrifice of abandoning the weapon in his homeland."  
  
"And where is it in this timeline?" Jenise interrupted.  
  
"I have it...or rather, my past self. At this moment in time, I am battling the Sarafan Lord at the vortex between our world and the prison world of the Hylden. Obviously, I shall be triumphant, but at the cost of losing Janos Audron to the demon lord."  
  
"What do you mean 'at the cost of losing Janos'? He is dead! I am witness to that firsthand! And we ensured that he would not be returned to life!" Raziel demanded.  
  
"Unfortunately, I did not take heed to your words of advice," interrupted a different, unexpected voice. All heads snapped attention to the new arrivals: Vorador accompanied by six of his elite.  
  
Raziel rounded on the elder vampire. "Explain."  
  
Vorador sighed, reluctant to admit his error, but conceded to the fact that he had to do so.   
  
"When you entrusted the Heart of Darkness to me, I initially vowed to uphold the promise you forced upon me. But after so long, I could not refuse. The Sarafan were growing stronger and the number of my men began to grow smaller. It seemed Kain would never awaken. I thought that if I revived my sire, we would prosper once again and we would be able to out-match the Sarafan and their Hylden masters.  
  
"We were wrong. Moebius had foreseen my blunder and arranged it so that the Sarafan were waiting for my men when they arrived at the aerie. As soon as the Heart was reinserted into Janos's body, the Sarafan surrounded my men. Janos was taken prisoner, and my men were brutally murdered," Vorador explained solemnly.  
  
Raziel's eyes glowed with fury. Vorador had deliberately betrayed his trust. And on top of that, he had attempted the feat which Raziel had vowed to achieve: reviving Janos. For Raziel had blamed himself for the ancient vampire's death.  
  
"Of all the idiotic...I cannot believe you went and did what I told you not to do! Now there is no bringing Janos back! The Heart of Darkness is gone! And on top of all that, we don't have the Reaver blade!" the former vampire stormed about.  
  
"Don't be to sure about that," Vorador replied.   
  
Raziel halted his pacing and turned towards the vampire lord. One of the elite handed a satin cloth to Vorador. The cloth had been wrapped carefully around a long, slender object, concealing and protecting it at the same time. Once in Vorador's claws, the vampire untied the fabric and pealed it away, revealing the Soul Reaver. Vorador handed the satin to the elite, and held up the blade for all to see.  
  
"But how...?" Raziel mumbled in disbelief.  
  
"You and Kain are not the only ones able to use Moebius's time machines. My men and I have traveled back five years from now to deliver this to you. Perhaps, it will be of some use to you..." Vorador replied as he handed the sword to Raziel, and then turned towards Kain. "Tis a pity your younger counterpart is not as cooperative as you are. We could have been great allies. Unfortunately, this is the last you will see of me in the course of my history. I bid ye all good luck."  
  
On that note, Vorador and his men departed through the pillar gates. Kain stared at his former mentor until he faded from view. Vorador's parting words puzzled the master vampire for several moments. A flicker of a memory sparked in Kain's mind as he thought about the enigmatic meaning of his words. Slowly, the memory flared to life.  
  
Kain remembered it now. Why Vorador had spoken like so. After Kain had defeated the Sarafan Lord, he strove to build a vampire army. Vorador was at his side during his rise to power. However, Vorador began to see Kain's greed and lust for power. It was no better than the Sarafan Lord's own self-ambition.   
  
The corruption in Nosgoth grew exponentially during a few years' time. Vorador knew Nosgoth needed to be restored. So in an act of treachery, he attacked Kain by surprise, rendering him unconscious and stole the Reaver. Using the streaming device in the Oracle's caves, Vorador traveled to this era to deliver the Reaver to Raziel. Upon Vorador's return, Kain murdered Vorador and his men in blind fury for his betrayal.  
  
The elder vampire was aware of his fate. He had foreseen it in the portals of the Oracle's cave. Though he knew he was damning himself, he knew he had no other choice but to rectify his wrong doings. Assisting in the purification of Nosgoth was the least Vorador could do, even if it meant martyring himself in the process.  
  
Kain blinked out of his momentary stupor. Raziel and Jenise were instructing the guardians as to what they should do based upon the tale Janos had told them. Kain quietly watched from the side. It all came down to the next few moments ahead. This was what centuries of planning and waiting had finally boiled down to.   
  
When Kain had mutilated Raziel's wings and executed him by means of the abyss, it was not an act of blind jealousy. In fact, the vampire lord felt astonishment when he first laid his eyes on those wings. As the tender flesh tore open and delicate bones snapped, Kain felt an overwhelming regret. But he knew if Nosgoth was to be saved, he had to sacrifice his favored son. He had foreseen that Raziel would be Nosgoth's savior.  
  
Raziel and Jenise had instructed each of the guardians to stand before their designated pillar. The pillars still showed signs of the four and a half centuries of corruption. Though the birth of new guardians allowed the pillars to begin healing, there were still cracks running up the sacred structures like visible scars from a deep wound.  
  
One by one, the guardians of the eight outer pillars began to concentrate their powers, focusing their energies into their respected pillars. The energy offered to the pillars seemed to rejuvenate them. The pristine color of the stone returned to its brightest and the cracks seemed to fade away.   
  
As the energy within each pillar reached its maximum, the glyph on the pillars pulsed with energy. Once all the glyphs of the eight outer pillars were glowing, Rauha concentrated on her pillar. Closing her eyes and raising her right hand towards the pillar, she poured all the energy she could spare into the balance pillar.  
  
At the moment Rauha's glyph flashed with life, energy from the outside pillars bolted towards the center pillar like arcs of electricity drawn by a magnetic force. The power within the balance pillar grew to its peak. From the balance glyph, a beam of light sprang forth, directing itself on a predetermined location at the center of the pillar base. The light created a ripple of energy on the spot that it shone on. Using the power of the pillars offered to it, the ripple of energy opened up, revealing the slot or 'keyhole' for which the Reaver was to be placed.  
  
Jenise watched with astonishment as Raziel slowly walked towards the slot. She was at a loss for words, being able to witness, firsthand, the true purpose of the pillars. Raziel approached the 'keyhole', examining it intently. If all went well, Nosgoth would be restored and the Hylden would be eliminated.  
  
"Hold it right there!" a demanding voice called out.  
  
Jenise, Raziel and Kain turned their heads towards the intruder. Simultaneously, all three sneered at the arrival of Moebius. With the previous time streamer, was a small army of Sarafan glyph knights, and one unforgettable Sarafan high priest.  
  
"Stephin..." Jenise growled under her breath. It figured that he had to show up now of all times.  
  
"Jenise. Still sore at me for having almost ended your life? Do not worry. This time I'll be certain to finish what I start."  
  
"What are you doing here, Moebius?" Kain demanded.  
  
"Do you think the three of you could attempt something so grand without my finding out about it? How foolish could you be? And I suppose you expected me to stand idly by while you dismantled all that I have worked so hard for? I have seen fit to bring with me the strongest of the Sarafan to deal with you," he taunted. Turning towards the knights, he calmly ordered, "Kill them all."  
  
The Sarafan warriors charged towards the pillars. Kain, Raziel and Jenise crouched into defensive positions. When Jenise noticed Raziel, armed with the Soul Reaver, ready to defend the pillars, she nearly panicked.  
  
"Raziel, you have to put the Reaver in its place before the guardians are drained of their energy!"  
  
"No, I must help you defend the guardians first, or else they will be killed!"  
  
"They'll be killed if you don't hurry! It's your destiny to complete the restoration! Mine is to protect the pillars and the guardians!" she reasoned, earning a silent response from Raziel. "Trust me! I can do this! Besides, I'm not alone in this. Kain is with me."  
  
The reaver of souls finally conceded to Jenise's reasoning. He turned back towards the pillars. Kain and Jenise ran to the edge of the pillar base to confront the approaching knights. Though outnumbered twenty to one, both had eager grins on their faces at the thought of a challenging battle.  
  
The priestess drew her sword and shield in anticipation as she and Kain confronted the first of the opposing forces. The first few knights were easy to dispatch, having been overconfident. Kain slashed through the necks of three knights with his claws. They fell to the ground gasping for air until their deaths like guppies out of water. Jenise used her sword to impale a knight and cripple another, amputating his weapon arm in one clean stroke.  
  
The next knight that encountered Kain quickly found the vampire's clawed fist impaled through his body, just below his sternum. When Kain withdrew his bloodied talons, the knight's entrails had been unintentionally pulled from his body. The sight caused the blood to drain from the knight's face. He would have vomited, had his stomach still been in tact. Instead, he passed out from the blood loss.  
  
An axe-wielding knight approached Jenise with overabundant cockiness. His snide grin tempted Jenise to just haul off and punch him in the face. He was so sure of himself that he wasn't even attempting to defend himself. Jenise gave him a sly little grin and she sauntered up to him. The knight's grin fell into an expression of confusion.   
  
When she was close enough, Jenise looked directly into the knight's eyes, smiled coyly, and bludgeoned him in the temple with the hilt of her sword. His eyes rolled up in the back of his head as he slumped to the ground. Jenise sheathed her sword and took up the knight's war axe and prepared for the next onslaught of knights.  
  
Kain had captured a knight, holding him up by his throat. The vampire's death grip was suffocating. The sharp claws had dug puncture wounds in the knight's throat. Only Kain's tight grip was preventing him from bleeding to death. Three more Sarafan were surrounding the vampire, unsure how to attack him. Kain's torment over his captive only served to use the victimized Sarafan as a shield.  
  
One of the knights thought he could get a clean swipe at Kain. He was mistaken. When the knight thrust his sword towards the vampire, Kain has sidestepped at the last moment. The sword caught itself through the knight Kain was holding. The attacking knight stared in horror at the murderous act he had committed.   
  
With the knight terror stricken, Kain used his free hand to grab hold of the bloodied blade protruding from the deceased's body. The vampire pulled the entirety of the sword through the corpse. Grabbing the hilt, Kain dropped the body and in one smooth motion, decapitated the now weaponless Sarafan. His head fell to the ground, shortly followed by his body.  
  
With Kain's 'shield' gone, the other two knights attempted a two-on-one assault. The vampire used his temporary weapon to impale one knight through the left lung. He dodged an attack from the second. Turning around behind the knight, Kain grabbed hold of his head with both hands. The sound of the knight's neck snapping indicated his death.  
  
Jenise was surrounded by five Sarafan. She held her shield up to guard her left side. Her right side was protected by the axe she had claimed. She spun the axe in random circles, effectively leaving no spot open for attack. The knights studied her movements, trying to find a flaw in her defense. One knight thought he saw an opening, and decided to attack. He charged at the priestess, but was dispatched when the war axe came crashing down onto his collarbone, shattering it painfully.  
  
Jenise quickly built up her defense's momentum. If the Sarafan caught on, they would realize that the only flaw to her defense was during an attack. Obviously they hadn't caught on as of yet. Another knight attacked. Jenise landed a blow to the warrior's left forearm. He screamed in pain, no longer paying attention to Jenise. If he had, he would have seen the back of the axe come smashing down on the top of his head.  
  
The third gave Jenise little time to defend. Wielding a mace, he attacked her from the left side, furthest away from the axe. Jenise deflected the mace with her shield. The force of the blow forced her into a crouching position. Jenise swiped her axe sideways towards her left. The knight howled as the axe embedded itself in the soft tissue of his left side. Jenise pulled the axe back and swung a second time, this time slicing clean through his knee. The crippled knight fell to the ground.  
  
Jenise rose to her feet. With her odds not so horribly against her, she went on the offensive. She attacked an unsuspecting knight, swinging the axe in a downward stroke. The knight didn't have time to react. The axe crunched through the knight's skull. Blood and brain tissue oozed from the wound. The watching knight choked the bile rising in his throat. Using his sickness to her advantage, Jenise unsheathed her sword and thrust it directly through his midsection.  
  
Kain had been taking his time, toying with the Sarafan. He used his arm guards to block the Sarafans' attacks while building up his energy for attack. Right when the knights thought they had finally gained the advantage, Kain unleashed all of his awesome power. He allowed the bloodlust within him to take control, attacking everything and anything that moved in his immediate vicinity.  
  
Time seemed to slow from Kain's perspective as he watched the knights turn in terror. He slashed the two nearest warriors and lunged at three more. His claws tore through flesh and bone, causing painful deaths for his victims. He leapt at two more fleeing knights. Grabbing them by the back of their heads as he landed, he used the momentum to beat their faces into the rocks on the ground.  
  
As the energy of his attack wore down, Kain grabbed hold of one more terrified knight. He pulled the knights head up, exposing his jugular. The vampire sank his teeth into his victim, savoring the rich taste of the warm liquid. As the life drained from the knight, Kain fell out of his bloodlust. When finished with his meal, he dropped his victim to the ground with indifference.  
  
Jenise had watched Kain's frenzy from a distance. Although awed by his power, she was still glad she wasn't completely a vampire. She scanned the remaining flanks of the Sarafan. Only about fifteen or so were remaining. Five of which were guarding Moebius. But where was Stephin? Jenise hadn't noticed when the priest had left the time streamer's side.  
  
Jenise scanned the bloodied battlefield for signs of her nemesis. Turning in circles, she began to panic. Out of the blur, she spotted him. He was headed towards Raziel! She had to stop Stephin before he attacked.  
  
"Stephin!" she called out in anger. The priest stopped and turned at hearing his name. Jenise stood tall with a defiant smirk. "We have business to settle," she snidely replied.  
  
A wide grin spread across Stephin's face. His assassination attempt could wait. The priest strode confidently towards a battle ready Jenise. He would find far greater pleasure in killing the priestess once and for all.  
  
Turning the Soul Reaver blade-down, Raziel slowly inserted the 'key' into the slot. The sound of cold metal sliding against stone could be heard. A quiet 'chink' indicated that the Reaver had been inserted completely. After having completed his task, Raziel took a few hesitant steps backward. He could feel a growing rumble beneath his feet and was uncertain as to what it was.  
  
Like an unexpected explosion, the combined power of the guardians and their pillars propelled from the Reaver blade and into the sky above. Raziel waited breathlessly for the cleansing to begin. 


	40. Jenise vs Stephin

Chapter Forty  
  
Jenise and Stephin stood facing each other silently. A gap of about fifteen feet separated the two for now. All focus and attention were on the other. Kain's ongoing battle against the Sarafan did not distract them. Nor did the energy of the pillars swirling in the air. Nothing mattered to the two now, except for the desire to kill the other. They knew, that this would be the final battle. Only one would walk away the victor.  
  
"Have any last words before I cut your tongue from your throat?" Stephin crudely taunted.  
  
"Yes, as a matter of fact. When I've got you hanging off my sword at the brink of death, remember these words: You should have been trying to kill me instead of cutting out my tongue!"  
  
Stephin gritted his teeth at her audacity. Fueled by anger and hatred, he charged at his long time foe. He brought his sword down on Jenise, who blocked the blow with her shield. They glared directly into each other's eyes momentarily before breaking apart. The priest studied the priestess for a second before continuing his assault.  
  
The Sarafan swiped at his enemy. Swords clashed throwing sparks into the air. Every attack thrown was either dodged or blocked. Both were finding difficulties penetrating the other's defenses. Neither had even managed to scratch the other. But neither was complaining. They both had a sickening pleasure for the challenge the other offered. An easy victory would be a very anticlimactic end to their rivalry.  
  
"You couldn't defeat me before Jenise. What makes you think you can best me now?"  
  
The priestess chuckled. "I don't think I can. I know I will."  
  
"You are such a naïve little girl," growled Stephin. "My power is greater than yours. You shall die by my hands!"  
  
"That's where you're wrong. This here...everything around us...this is my destiny! And I shall fulfill it!"  
  
The priestess's defiance arose anger within Stephin. With a feral war cry, he charged. In a frenzy of attacks, he swung his sword at Jenise from several directions. The priestess defended herself successfully, deflecting the sword with her shield or her own weapon. Stephin was wearing himself out.   
  
Jenise sensed this, and took the opportunity to strike. She lashed out at her attacker. Stephin saw the attack, but was too late to avoid it completely. He turned at the last moment, but the blade still drew across his skin. The blood slowly flowed from the flesh wound in his upper left arm. Jenise grinned at him with an aura of triumph, having been the first to draw blood.  
  
"Don't get arrogant now, wench! All you've managed to do is scratch me! And that's all you'll manage!"  
  
Stephin went on the offense again. And again Jenise upheld her defenses. The priest was growing frustrated by his repeated failure. He thrust his weapon at his foe's face, but she ducked down below the strike. Crouching, the priestess jabbed the Sarafan in the left thigh, leaving a deep puncture wound. Luckily for her enemy, she missed the major arteries.  
  
Stephin stepped backwards in pain. Jenise may have missed the arteries, but she did nick a nerve. He clenched at the wound, gritting his teeth through the pain, all the while glaring at his opponent. Jenise rose snidely to her feet. She was cherishing every moment.  
  
"Little bitch! Is this cowardice your new method of fighting?"  
  
"You may call it cowardice... I call it strategy."  
  
"Strategize this!"  
  
With that threat, Stephin's aura flamed to life. He manifested glyph energy within his sword for a severe attack. Jenise was alarmed at the rate of which Stephin could complete such a feat. Less powerful Sarafan required a few moments to conjure the strength. With Stephin, it was instantaneous.  
  
Stephin's blade flared with the extra energy. The priest charged, swiping his blade from his lower left to his upper right. The tip of the blade sliced through Jenise's leather briefs, tearing through the tender flesh beneath. She hissed in pain as blood seeped from the wound. Stephin brought his weapon down upon Jenise, catching her across her right shoulder. She staggered backward attempting to avoid further injury.  
  
Stephin easily regained any distance lost by Jenise's retreat. However, the priestess was by now able to adapt to her enemy's momentum. The priest thrust his weapon. Jenise was able to sidestep, suffering only a glancing blow. Stephin continued swinging his weapon. Jenise was now able to keep up, blocking every attack. This went on for several moments.  
  
"Why do you not try to attack me, little priestess?" he goaded.  
  
The priestess smirked a reply. "Patience is a virtue."  
  
Stephin continued his assault until fatigue resulted in the glyph energy receding from his weapon. He stepped back, panting slightly. Though Jenise had been injured, she wore a sadistic look on her face. Stephin grinned maliciously. He was now aware what she had been doing.  
  
By concentrating on defense, Jenise had not only been deflecting his blows, but had in fact been absorbing the energy within his blade. Stephin may have mastered the ability of glyph manipulation, but Jenise had mastered glyph absorption.   
  
Having vampire ancestry, Jenise could not conjure glyph energy on her own. To compensate, she created a way to absorb the energy from her attacker. But she could only do this when her attacker had manifested the energy into their weapon. Her ability was not without flaws, however. Being partially a vampire, she could not absorb large quantities of glyph energy at a time.   
  
Jenise used this energy to build up her offense, summoning strength for attack. She converted the glyph energy into that of her own. Her eyes glazed over as her strength, speed and senses heightened. Stephin crouched defensively in preparation.  
  
Jenise charged at her enemy with tremendous speed. She allowed her lust to overtake her as she swung her weapon at the priest. He attempted to dodge the strike, but she compensated by redirecting her attack. The priestess's weapon connected with Stephin's side, slicing him open just beneath his ribcage. Her turned with the force of the blow, avoiding a more severe injury.  
  
The priestess swiped a backhanded strike, tearing through the Sarafan's torso. He grimaced in pain. Jenise pulled back, and then thrust her sword, impaling Stephin's left shoulder. She pulled her weapon from the wound, a sick suctioning sound permeated through the air as droplets of blood sprang from the wound with the force of the retracting blade.  
  
Jenise continued her frenzied assault, her reasoning giving in completely to the lust. She slashed at his face, sliced his arms and wounded his back. Her attack was short lived, however. After the last attack, her mind came back to her as she panted for breath. The act of absorbing and using glyph energy was very wearisome for her.   
  
Extreme fatigue was one unfortunate side effect of using this ability. Another was that she completely loses control of herself during the attack. She also had a short amount of time to deliver enough blows to cripple her enemy. As the haze of her lust subsided, she was able to assess the damage she had dealt to her foe.  
  
Though his wounds were severe, Stephin was far from crippled. In fact, he laughed sardonically at the priestess's futile attempts. He had never experienced this type of attack from Jenise beforehand. Why he had thought it was more devastating, he did not know.  
  
"Is that all you have to offer me, Jenise?" Stephin taunted.  
  
The priestess gasped nervously. Her attack was nearly ineffective. It seemed he had intentionally allowed her to strike him, as if he was actually testing her strength! She took a backwards step, seeming to be very hesitant of her new predicament. She now realized that he had simply been toying with her during their previous encounter.  
  
"What's the matter?" the priest jeered as he matched Jenise's step back with a step forward. "Is the mighty Sarafan priestess afraid?"  
  
Jenise's brows furrowed. "I am not afraid! And I am not a Sarafan!" she boldly argued, though she continued stepping backwards.   
  
The priestess's eyes widened slightly, as she watched Stephin's aura glow, indicating his use of his glyph manipulation ability. She hastened her retreat, though it did little good. Memories of her prior encounter with this tactic stirred in her mind, furthering her uncertainty.   
  
Distracted by her fears, Jenise failed to notice the Sarafan corpse behind her feet. Stepping backwards, she unknowingly placed her heel on the corpse's wrist. Shifting her weight to that foot, she lost balance and fell over the bloodied mass. She landed on her rear, losing her weapon during the fall. She was completely vulnerable to an attack.  
  
Looking up at her attacker, Jenise's eyes filled with fear. Stephin was approaching her slowly, maliciously. His eyes were filled with a sick craving for murder. He seemed almost inhuman, especially with the glyph energy surrounding his body at its maximum. The supernatural power, offered to him so long ago by the Sarafan Lord, seemed to eat away at his sanity.  
  
"And now, priestess, you die!"  
  
The priest raised his sword high over his head, readying it to impale his victim. Jenise raised her shield defensively over her head, for protection. The shield did little good to protect her. Though it prevented Stephin from damaging any vital organs, he was still able to severely injure her.  
  
The maddened priest stabbed his sword downward, impaling his weapon through the right side of Jenise's stomach. She cried out in excruciating pain. He pulled his weapon from her torso and brought it down again, stabbing her just below her breastplate. He pushed down on the hilt, turning the weapon from side to side to create further injury. Tears of suffering streamed down Jenise's face. Stephin savored every last moment of her pain.  
  
Kain had eliminated all but five remaining Sarafan knights. Those were the five who were nobly guarding Moebius. The future vampire lord approached the time streamer with confidence.  
  
"You hide behind your loyal dogs, as if they'll save you Moebius."  
  
"I do not need them to protect me, Kain."  
  
"Is that so?"  
  
"Indeed," the time streamer replied, as he hefted his staff in the air for Kain to see. The master vampire hesitated as he realized how he had walked into yet another of Moebius's traps. The staff shone with light and Moebius used its power to weaken Kain.  
  
"Unfortunately, I could not depend of Raziel to complete this act, but perhaps my men will. Kill him," the ancient time guardian commented to himself before ordering his men to attack the vulnerable vampire.  
  
Raziel became impatient as he waited for the pillar energy to open the portal Janos had described to him during his lecture. The swirling clouds of power sparked with electricity as the pillar energy climbed. Despite this, Raziel was unsure if the energy was even coming close to its climax as of yet.  
  
Barely audible over the crackling of the pending energy, Raziel could hear a soft cry of pain. He turned towards the battlefield for the first time since leaving Jenise and Kain to deal with the Sarafan. What he saw shocked him. Though most of the knights were now nothing more than bloody piles of corpses, a few were still standing. And with Moebius's aid, they were outnumbering Kain.  
  
But that was not what was the most shocking. At the opposite end of the battlefield from Kain, Raziel could see a lone Sarafan torturing his victim. A flash of lightning momentarily illuminated the scene, confirming Raziel's fear. Jenise was on the ground, fatally wounded, suffering at the hands of the insane priest, Stephin.  
  
Raziel quickly made up his mind. He decided to abandon the pillars to try to rescue Jenise. He made a lunge in her direction. Suddenly, an explosion overhead knocked him off his feet.  
  
In the sky, the build up of energy had finally reached its peak. A ripple of energy exploded from the epicenter of the energy storm in a flash of blinding white light. After a moment, the ripple seemed to pull back in on itself, like a gigantic supernova. Once the energy had converged on itself, a giant vortex tore through the atmosphere.  
  
The sudden appearance of the spectacle caused all the present warriors to cease what they were doing. The knights who had surrounded Kain turned their attention skyward. The master vampire, too, gaped in awe at the vortex overhead. Moebius gasped at the sight, realizing he was too late to stop his enemies.  
  
Stephin, though still in his psychotic rage, was also distracted by the vortex. With his attention drawn upward, his next intended attack was hesitated. His sword hung in the air above Jenise's bleeding body. The priestess had taken notice to the vortex in the sky as well. However, her situation was of greater importance.  
  
With Stephin distracted, she quietly fumbled the ground for her lost sword, hoping that her movement would not cause her attacker to take notice of her. Her right hand fumbled over broken limbs, soiled rock, and cooling pools of blood. Finally, she felt a narrow, metallic object. A quick glance to her side confirmed her sword on the ground.  
  
Jenise clenched her fist around the hilt, her eyes carefully watching Stephin for any signs that he may continue his assault. The priestess slowly drew her sword back with the intention of defending herself. As she patiently pulled the weapon into a suitable position, the blade scraped against a rock. The noise was loud enough for the priest to hear.  
  
Stephin snapped his head back towards Jenise. His eyes were ablaze with fury when he saw she had taken up her sword. He pulled his own weapon back up over his head with the intention of finally ending her life. In the blink of an eye, swords flew towards their intended victims. Metal tore through flesh. More blood spilled on the already saturated ground.  
  
Jenise grasped the hilt of her sword tightly. Her eyes clenched shut. Pain flared through her right shoulder. She slowly opened her eyes and with hesitant fear, looked down at the new wound. Stephin's blade was still embedded in her body. She followed the red-stained metal up to its hilt, to its wielder.  
  
Stephin stared silently down at Jenise. The rage that had been there a second ago, had faded. His right hand was still loosely wrapped around the hilt of his weapon. His left hand had subconsciously clutched at his chest. Stephin's glazed eyes moved from Jenise to his torso. To his disbelief, her weapon had impaled him directly through the heart.  
  
Stephin looked back at Jenise, staring directly into her eyes. His expression seemed to ask 'but how?' The life faded from the priest's eyes. His strength leaving him, he could no longer hold himself up. He began to slump towards the ground, slowly at first. As he fell, momentum caused the fall to quicken. He hit the ground with a thud.  
  
Relief washed over Jenise. She mustered all her strength to pull the still protruding weapon from her body. She growled in pain as the blade exited her body. The priestess sat up carefully, now devoting her attention to the vortex in the air. Soon, all their hard work would pay off.  
  
Raziel intently studied the anomaly. Something did not seem right. Janos had said that the pillars would open a gateway to another dimension, one that would consume and imprison the Hylden and the corruption they caused. However, this vortex seemed still. The cleansing the ancient vampire spoke of was not transpiring.  
  
Kain could sense Raziel's uncertainty. He, too, stared at the vortex, curious as to what his first-born could be weary of. Suddenly, he could make out an object inside the vortex. As it grew larger, it took on a humanoid form. But then, he could discern a set of glowing green eyes. Kain's breath caught in his throat at his realization.  
  
"The Sarafan Lord! But he should be fighting my past self at this moment!" the vampire stated to himself with shock.  
  
Moebius filled Kain in with an explanation. "Not exactly. He had been fighting you moments ago, until you cast him into the gateway he had been opening. However, he had the Nexus stone with him, thus allowing him to use this vortex as his new, makeshift portal!"  
  
"No! It can't be!"  
  
"It is. Prepare yourself, Kain! The Hylden are about to invade Nosgoth! And once they do, you and your kind will be eliminated and Nosgoth shall be saved!" 


	41. Return of the Sarafan Lord

Chapter Forty-One  
  
The Sarafan Lord slowly emerged from the vortex. He fell from the gateway, landing squarely on his feet. He rose to his full height, taking a moment to assess everything around him. Silently, he approached the pillars. A feeling of impending doom filled the air around him.  
  
"Ah, so you are the little demon Raziel. Moebius has told me so much about you. I believe I shall have to thank you. If you hadn't played out the role that Moebius especially designed for you, than I wouldn't be here now."  
  
Raziel growled in irritation. He did not share in the Sarafan Lord's amusement. He hadn't even had his eyes on the Hylden ruler for more than a few moments, and already he was telling Raziel how he had been further manipulated. The wraith blade flared to match its host's fury.  
  
The reaver of souls crouched into a fighting position, ready to battle the beast. The Sarafan Lord chuckled amusedly. Suddenly, the wraith blade abandoned its energy form of the material realm. Raziel stared at his arm in alarm. Moebius was too far away to affect the blade.  
  
"What's the matter little Raziel? Don't know where your little toy went to?" the lord sneered. Raziel glared at the Sarafan Lord, who was fingering a bizarre gem hanging from a chain around his neck.  
  
Kain struggled against the Sarafan knights. With the Sarafan Lord's arrival, they seemed to grow stronger. Their fear and reasoning also seemed to abandon them. It was as if the Sarafan Lord was directly controlling them somehow. Kain noticed that the knights had an overwhelming amount of glyph energy roiling off them.  
  
The toxins of the glyph energy stung at Kain's senses and dulled his nerves. Moebius no longer needed to use his staff to subdue the master vampire. Kain groggily watched the Sarafan Lord approach Raziel. Through blurred vision, the vampire could barely make out the sight of the Nexus stone hanging around the lord's neck.  
  
Upon seeing the Sarafan Lord arrive, Jenise's entire being filled with anger and betrayal. She still had yet to get her revenge against the beast who manipulated her and then destroyed her life. She struggled to her feet, slowly to reduce the pain from her wounds. Grabbing Stephin's sword, and with her shield in hand, she began the painful trek towards the pillars.  
  
The Sarafan Lord stalked towards Raziel, but the much smaller opponent held his ground. The lord swung at Raziel with a giant fist. The vampire wraith attempted to block the blow with his claws, but the force of the giant's swing was too great. Raziel was sent flying to the ground.   
  
The lord took his time to approach Raziel again. Raziel quickly rose to his feet. The Sarafan Lord swung again at his foe. Raziel ducked below the attack, then attempted one of his own. The reaver of souls lashed out with his talons. He struck at the lord's midsection. The lord chuckled with amusement.  
  
Raziel halted his assault, realizing his attempts were futile. He hadn't even left a mark on the Sarafan Lord's skin. Apparently, Hylden skin doubles as armor like an exoskeleton. The lord's fist connected with the side of Raziel's head. The former vampire was sent skidding across the pillar base, falling off the edge of the platform.  
  
With Raziel out of the way, the lord pulled on the Nexus stone, snapping the chain around his neck. He approached the Soul Reaver, still protruding from its 'keyhole' in the pillar base. Carefully, the lord placed the Nexus stone at the center of the energy beam directed in the air. As he did so, the pillar energy altered from that of a holy white, to that of a toxic green.  
  
The vortex in the sky matched this color. It pulsed as it struggled to accept the changed that the Nexus stone had caused. The vortex, once meant to liberate Nosgoth, was now being used to enslave the world. By introducing the stone, the Sarafan Lord successfully opened the gateway he had attempting to open for nearly two hundred years. 'If only it had been this simple,' he pondered.  
  
The lord stepped back to admire the work of his meddling. From the gateway, an army of Hylden warriors appeared, charging through the portal and landing on the ground below. As they amassed, they waited for their commander's orders. The Sarafan Lord turned to his army.  
  
"Complete my orders as I have commanded! Invade Meridian! When the capital of Nosgoth has fallen, the rest of the world will follow!"  
  
A war cry resounded amongst the ranks of the hideous beasts. They stormed through the pillar gates, eagerly heading for Meridian. Hordes of Hylden monsters continued to pour from the portal in the sky, following the minions already on their way to purge the city. A sadistic laugh escaped the Sarafan Lord's lips.  
  
Raziel slowly rose to his feet, shaking the cobwebs from his head that fogged his mind. Upon opening his eyes, he saw, to his horror, the legions of Hylden stampeding through the area. The Sarafan Lord seemed to be gloating his success while watching over his swelling army. Kain was still suffering from the knight's glyph energy, though he appeared to be breaking free.  
  
The pillar guardians were all still focusing their energy into their pillars, though now it seemed against their will. Raziel could tell they were becoming fatigued, but they were unable to pull away from their pillars. The reaver of souls then spotted the stone that incapacitated his wraith blade. It was hovering in the midst of the energy beam.   
  
Raziel realized it was the stone that altered the portal, and it was also trapping the guardians. He knew that if he didn't remove the stone soon, that the guardians would be drained of all their energy, causing their deaths. He was about to attack, when he noticed movement in the corner of his eye. It was Jenise!  
  
Though badly injured, the priestess was filled with determination. She held her shield up close to her body. The strength in her right arm was drained due to the puncture wound in her shoulder. She still held tightly onto the hilt of her sword, though the tip was being dragged through the soil. Her eyes were locked on her target.  
  
The Sarafan Lord was too caught up in his musings to notice Jenise. She struggled up the steps to the pillars, quietly sneaking around behind the lord. Though she would have plenty of time to deal with her oppressor, her immediate attention was on that of the Nexus stone. As the protector of the guardians, she felt it was her duty to remove the stone from its harmful locale.  
  
With all her strength, she hefted her sword and swung it at the stone. With a direct hit, the stone was sent careening towards the edge of the pillars. Instantaneously, the stone's influence over the portal ceased. The Hylden who were currently emerging from the vortex found themselves unable to exit the portal and cross into Nosgoth.  
  
The Sarafan Lord spun on his heel at the sudden interference with his plans. He glared at the perpetrator. Jenise stood as best she could through her pain, defiance radiated off her. A grin of malice spread on the lord's face.  
  
"Ah, Jenise! It's so good to see you again. I take it by your presence here that your difficulties with that fire demon weren't too great."  
  
"Cut the pleasantries! I've waited so long for my revenge! For all the pain you've caused me, I will kill you even if I kill myself trying!"  
  
The anger and adrenaline within Jenise allowed her to forget her pain and concentrate on her attack. She charged at the Sarafan Lord, weapon drawn. She brought the sword down attempting to strike her enemy. The Hylden lord caught the blade in a single hand with ease. Jenise's eyes were wide in alarm.  
  
The Sarafan Lord fisted his other hand, intending to strike Jenise. The priestess drew her shield up at the last moment, protecting herself from the blow. However, this did not stop the Hylden ruler from lifting her up off her feet and throwing her across the platform.   
  
Jenise rolled from the force a few times before coming to a stop. She lifted her head up, spotting her own blood on the pillar base, before raising her eyes up to the Sarafan Lord. He was approaching her with a taunting slowness. She rose to her feet, preparing to defend herself.   
  
The lord approached Jenise with a swinging fist, which she sidestepped to avoid. She thrust her sword at the lord's abdomen. However, what was intended to be an impaling blow instead glanced off the lord's armored skin. The blade left a small gash, but it was enough to anger the lord.  
  
The Hylden ruler wrapped a massive hand around Jenise's throat, lifting her into the air by her neck. The priestess dropped her weapon, using her free hand to hold onto the lord's wrist. Slowly, the Sarafan Lord tightened his grip around her neck, slowly suffocating the priestess.  
  
Just when Jenise was on the brink of unconsciousness, the lord released his grip, dropping her to the ground. Between coughs and through watery eyes, Jenise could see the reason for his diversion. Raziel had taken up a war axe and had struck the Hylden ruler in the back.   
  
The Sarafan Lord turned towards his attacker, clenching his teeth in pain, though the attack barely left much of a wound. Raziel swung his weapon again, but the lord caught the attack. With ease, he lifted the weapon in the air; Raziel still attached to it, and flung the blue demon like a rag doll.   
  
The lord stepped forward to pursue the irritating vampire wraith. As he did so, he felt his foot connect with something on the ground. Looking down, he spotted the Nexus stone. He snatched the jewel up, securing the precious item. He returned his attention to Raziel, who had since risen to his feet. The Hylden was about to go after Raziel when Jenise interrupted him.  
  
"I'm not through with you yet!" she yelled as if she had ever had any advantage over the Hylden.  
  
The Sarafan Lord turned upon hearing her taunt and was met with the sight of Jenise gripping the top of her shield with both hands. She swung her shield at the ruler of the Hylden, intending on striking him with the face of her shield. The lord brought his arms up defensively to block the blow. In his right hand, he still clenched the Nexus stone, the bottom point facing outward.  
  
The shield connected. But it did not directly strike the Sarafan Lord. The Nexus stone took the blunt of the blow, sparing the lord. His unintentional defense was not without repercussion. The mysterious powers within the stone, combined with the force of Jenise's blow, caused her shield to shatter down the middle. The destruction of the shield released a powerful wave of energy, pushing back both combatants.  
  
Jenise fell backwards towards the pillars, while the Sarafan Lord fell outside of the pillar base. The Nexus stone flew from his hands towards Raziel. The Sarafan Lord rose to his feet. His patience had worn down to nothing. He turned to a flank of Hylden warriors still present.  
  
"Attack them! I want you to kill them all!"  
  
The Hylden warriors obeyed their new command. They charged towards the pillars. Before they came even close to their objective, their efforts were thwarted. With Jenise's shield now destroyed, the spirit within it was now free. The energy of the shield's soul engulfed the pillars and its base, surrounding it in a blanket of its protective energy.   
  
The warriors that attempted to approach the pillar base were forcefully cast away by the power of the energy barrier. Furious, the Sarafan Lord attempted to penetrate the shield. He was not so easily thrown back like his minions, but the barrier repelled him with sparks of electrical energy. He could not get near the shield.  
  
Raziel stood up, inspecting the turn of events. He spotted the Nexus stone only inches from his location. Realizing the Sarafan Lord was helpless to stop him, Raziel hefted his war axe over his head and brought it crashing down on the Nexus stone. The gem shattered into tiny fragments. The dull glow that had once emanated from within the stone faded. The Sarafan Lord witnessed every second of Raziel's destruction.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed in fury.  
  
At that moment, the vortex overhead seemed to regain control over itself. It turned back to its original intention, ridding Nosgoth of the Hylden. The parasitic warriors suddenly found themselves being pulled against their will into the gateway. Hordes of the enemy race were sucked into the sky and into the portal. Waves of cleansing energy rippled across the sky to the horizon.  
  
Several long moments passed as the Hylden were pulled back into their prison dimension. As the last of the Hylden was trapped inside the parallel realm, the vortex sealed itself up. The energy of the pillars suddenly halted. Each of the guardians relaxed, no longer needing to feed their energy into the pillars. The sky grew quiet. With the Hylden gone, the energy barrier faded and the spirit that guarded the pillars retreated back within the fragments of Jenise's shield.  
  
Having seen his master's failure, Moebius quickly fled before any harm could come to his being. Without the influence of his staff to aide the Sarafan knights, Kain regained his strength and disposed of the menacing pests, feeding upon the last unlucky victim to regain his strength.  
  
The pillar guardians took a moment to assess the now silent valley. Blood and carnage was everywhere. But not a single Hylden warrior remained and the Sarafan oppressors were overthrown.  
  
"We- we did it!" Alma exclaimed, breaking the silence.   
  
The guardians exploded in a victorious cheer. Though exhausted, they still found the energy to celebrate their success. Raziel dropped his war axe and headed towards the Soul Reaver, pulling it from its slot. After retracting it, the 'keyhole' vanished as if it were never there before.  
  
Jenise slowly rose to her feet. She took in the serenity of her surroundings. Her heart leapt with joy and pride at seeing the exuberant faces of the guardians. She turned towards Raziel and seeing his solemn expression caused her heart to sink. The vampire wraith stood alone, staring at the blade in his hands. Thoughts of his own impending fate had darkened his mood.  
  
"Raziel, what's wro-" she began to ask of him, but a sudden blow to her back caused her to choke on her words.  
  
Raziel looked up upon hearing his name, but his eyes widened in shock at what he saw. Somehow, the Sarafan Lord had avoided the doom of the vortex. Their carelessness had allowed him to grab a discarded mace undetected. This mace was now embedded in Jenise's back. Raziel stared at Jenise in horror. Her own shock-filled eyes stared back at him in silent terror. 


	42. Turel

Chapter Forty-Two  
  
Raziel stared at Jenise in absolute horror. The priestess stood paralyzed in her painful condition. The mace in her back, still in the grasp of her attacker, was all that was holding her up. The Sarafan Lord grinned widely at his cruel deed. Using his free hand to brace his victim, he pulled the mace from Jenise's back.  
  
Released from the sharp spikes of the mace, the priestess staggered forward a few steps towards Raziel. Her strength completely drained, she only went a few inches forward. Her eyes lost focus on her ally and they rolled up into the back of her head as she collapsed to the concrete of the pillar base.  
  
Raziel's shock and fear turned into hate and anger. His misty white eyes illuminated with maddening fury. With the Nexus stone destroyed, the wraith blade returned. It flared to life, matching Raziel's rage. Because the vampire wraith was still holding onto the physical blade, the spectral blade coiled around its twin.  
  
"You unbelievable bastard! How could you?"  
  
"How could I not? She was right there, vulnerable and unsuspecting. It was the perfect opportunity!"  
  
Though still completely irate that his plans had been destroyed, the Sarafan Lord could not help but muse about his vile deed. This only proved to further enrage Raziel. The Hylden stepped over Jenise's body, advancing towards Raziel. He spun the mace in his hand, assessing a better grip on the weapon. Raziel could see Jenise's blood glistening on the spikes of the mace.  
  
Raziel charged the Sarafan Lord. The Hylden matched the former vampire's lead. They approached each other swinging weapons. Metal clashed with metal. Weapons locked, the lord shoved Raziel back a step, freeing his mace for another attack. The lord swung his weapon again, but Raziel matched his move. Weapons collided again.  
  
Neither opponent was gaining the upper hand. Both were matching each other's moves par for par. For every nick one opponent suffered, the other soon suffered on of his own. And the wounds delivered were nothing more than just that...nicks. As the battle drew on, both combatants grew fatigued and frustrated.  
  
The Sarafan Lord, having doubts whether or not his stamina would outlast Raziel's, he opted for a different tactic. The lord caught his opponent off guard with a kick to the midsection. Raziel fell back several feet. But this was enough room for the Sarafan Lord. The Hylden's eyes flared neon green as he gathered all his strength. His aura shone, matching the color of his eyes.  
  
Raziel quickly jumped back to his feet. He watched the Sarafan Lord for a moment, curious as to his intentions. Raziel only spared that one second before charged back into battle. As Raziel approached, the Hylden grinned as he hefted his mace skyward, preparing to deliver a blow. Raziel pulled the Soul Reaver back.  
  
The mace came speeding down upon its victim. The sound of metal through flesh told any too squeamish to watch that a fatal blow had been delivered. Blood dripped onto the ground around the combatants' feet.  
  
The Sarafan Lord stared in disbelief. Not only had Raziel's attack been faster than the lord's but he had also managed the impossible. The Soul Reaver, both manifestations of the weapon, had been thrust directly through the Hylden lord's heart. The lord dropped the mace, unable to hold it in his grasp any longer.  
  
The Hylden tried futilely to clutch at the weapon protruding from his chest. In response, Raziel twisted the blade ninety degrees within the beast. The lord gasped in pain. He could feel himself being lost to the twin blades. The physical blade, hungry for blood, and the wraith blade, hungry for souls, simultaneously devoured the life essence of the Sarfan Lord.  
  
The Hylden slumped forward with his death. Raziel shoved the dehydrated beast off his weapon with his cloven foot. The Hylden fell to the ground, never to move again. Raziel took a moment to ensure the monster would not rise from his fate again. After confirming this, his attention went immediately towards Jenise.  
  
Alma had been supporting the priestess's head in her lap, calling her name, trying to get some sign of life. Tears filled the sensitive girl's eyes as she was realizing the truth of the situation. Sophia and Taliba tried to calm Alma, reasoning with her that there was nothing that could be done. Kain silently watched the situation.   
  
The remaining guardians, who had been watching the battle, followed Raziel to the priestess's side. Unable to release the Soul Reaver, Raziel took Jenise's limp form in one hand from Alma's arms. He stared at her pale, cooling body. There was no life within her.  
  
"Jenise?" Raziel whispered in disbelief. With no response, he lowered her head back down to the ground. "I...I can't believe she's actually gone..."  
  
"Her loss was not in vain, Raziel," Sophia now had to try and comfort the reaver of souls. "Without her, the Hylden would have surely overrun Nosgoth."  
  
"And if not for her, none of us would have been born as guardians," Galen pointed out.  
  
"She shall be honored for her sacrifice for years to come," added Nobu.  
  
"I don't want her to be honored for her sacrifice!" Raziel exploded in anger, rising to his feet. "Of all the people I've known during my entire existence, she's the only one who never used or manipulated me for any reason or in anyway! She's the only person I can say I could trust! I couldn't even trust my own sire!" Raziel commented, glancing at Kain.  
  
"That's not true," Alma whispered, defiant of Raziel's words. She spoke a little louder when attention was drawn to her. "I've never used you. And neither have any of the other guardians. You should be able to trust us!"  
  
"Alright, fine. I'll trust you," Raziel replied sardonically as he turned to face Drogo. "I TRUST you can bring her back!"  
  
Drogo sighed, shaking his head. "I cannot."  
  
"Yes you can! I've seen you do it before!"  
  
"I cannot bring Jenise back. The purpose of my abilities is to bring back those who died wrongfully."  
  
"She was murdered! Wrongfully, I might add! Why can you not bring her back?"  
  
"She had also died once already. And she already had been restored to life. A being can be restored back to life only once," Drogo explained.  
  
"You are so full of horse manure!" Raziel refused to accept his reasoning. "You could try anyway!"  
  
"It would be futile," interrupted Roshan. "Her spirit has already passed on..."  
  
"No," Raziel responded, staring at the priestess's form. During his battle, he hadn't even noticed her soul leave her body. "Damn it!"  
  
"Calm down, Raziel," Galen spoke softly, using his power to ease Raziel out of his fury. "She will live on...in our memories."  
  
Raziel turned away from the group and began walking towards the pillar gates.  
  
"Where are you going, Raziel?" inquired Kain, stopping his first-born.  
  
"If none of you will help be bring her back, then I'll go do it myself. Excuse me," he pushed passed his sire.  
  
Rauha spoke up. "If you go back and change her fate, you may change the outcome of tonight's events. You may end up dooming Nosgoth once again!"  
  
Raziel stopped again at her words. He seemed to silently contemplate how he could possibly change history for the worst by going back in time to save Jenise's life.  
  
"Wait, Raziel! It's not over yet!" Taliba called out, gaining everyone's attention. She clutched at her head, the pain from her visions still pounding her skull. Cosmo supported her weight as she slowly approached the reaver of souls.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"In my vision...I saw... History will repeat itself, Raziel. Unless you stop him..."  
  
"Stop who?"  
  
"A beast... A demon... Not like any I've ever seen before... Far into the distant future, far to the north in Dark Eden... He's found the long forgotten portal of the Sarafan Lord... He knows not the dangers of his actions... But he opens the portal anyway..."  
  
Raziel thought about Taliba's cryptic foresight. He pieced together the bits of information. "Dark Eden...in the future... That could mean only one thing!"  
  
"What is it?" Cosmo encouraged Raziel to share his epiphany.  
  
"Turel..." Raziel softly replied absentmindedly. His thoughts were now more on getting back to the era of Kain's fallen empire. "Taliba, do you think you could show me exactly when this is to happen?"  
  
"I can do better than that," the time guardian replied, her strength returning. "Nobu, can you come here, please?"  
  
The guardian of dimension complied. "Yes?"  
  
"I wish to open a gateway directly to the era in my vision. I need you to make a dimensional portal."  
  
"Consider it done."  
  
Nobu concentrated his power, focusing it directly before him. The air in front of him seemed to contort. Looking through the warping space, object seen on the other side seemed to ripple as if extreme heat was rising off their surfaces. The portal opened, revealing a swirl of lights and fog.  
  
Once the portal was stable, Taliba focused her energy into the portal, directing the opposite end to that of her desire. The fog and lights within the portal twisted and turned to reveal a location at the opposite end.  
  
Task complete, Taliba instructed, "The portal is stable. When you walk through, you shall arrive before he opens the Hylden gateway. You have not much time."  
  
Raziel approached the time portal. He gazed inside, assessing it before it was too late to go back. Looking through it, he could see a wall. Upon it, a few weapons were mounted. Above the wall, he could make out half of a symbol. He could tell that it was the insignia of the Dumahim. As Raziel was about to enter the portal, Kain joined his side.  
  
"What do you want?" the former vampire snapped.  
  
"You may need my help."  
  
"I doubt that."  
  
Despite their indifferences, Raziel did not dispute Kain returning to the future with him. The master vampire entered the portal first. Raziel hesitated a moment, looking back at the era he was about to leave behind. His eyes wandered over to Jenise's body.  
  
"Once I've finished with Turel, I'll be returning to change Jenise's fate," Raziel vowed. "For all her efforts, she should at least be able to see the good she's brought into this world."  
  
On that note, Raziel plunged into the time portal. A few moments of weightlessness and disorientation passed before Raziel found himself stepping foot on solid ground once again. He looked around, and found himself at the Sanctuary of the Clans, standing on the very spot where his wings had been torn from his body. The time portal behind him faded.  
  
Raziel looked around, and found himself alone. Kain was nowhere to be found. But the former vampire found his surrounding distracting. The pillars, that had once been destroyed, decayed, and mutilated were now whole, healthy, and rose high into the sky through the opening in the sanctuary roof. Kain had still crafted a throne at the base of the balance pillar, but the pillars were still as healthy as he had just left them only moments ago in Nosgoth's past.  
  
His mind set on the task at hand, Raziel quickly exited the sanctuary. Upon stepping out into the world, he found it much less gloomy than he could recall. The dead world he remembered was now flamboyant of life. Trees, grass, flowers all grew freely where there had once been rock, stone and dirt. Birds chirped as they swooped through the air. A squirrel skittered away into the trees.  
  
The sky was also changed. No longer completely overcast with smoke, the sun was able to peek through the thick atmosphere. Raziel deduced that some of the smokestacks that had been erected to block out the sun were now demolished.  
  
One thing did remain the same, however. The presence of the devolved vampires. Two elite Dumahim leapt out from behind the trees, blocking Raziel from his path. The former vampire quickly disposed of the deformed offspring of his brother with the Soul Reaver. Raziel continued onwards toward the abyss.  
  
The reaver of souls traveled the long snowy roads northward until he reached Dumah's clan lands. At that point, he turned west through a mountain tunnel. At the opposite end of the mountain range Raziel was now traveling through, lay Dark Eden.  
  
Despite the rest of Nosgoth, this barren wasteland remained unchanged despite the alterations made in history. The sky here was darker than any other sky over Nosgoth. The land was dead, devoid of any plant life. Twisted creatures from centuries past still roamed the volcanic desert. These mindless beasts had provided sustenance for Turel's fledges during harsh times.  
  
Hacking his way through a few Turelim, Raziel entered the stronghold of his eldest brother. He navigated his way through the twisting labyrinth of hallways and corridors, slaying any who got in his way. Traveling deep within the stronghold, Raziel came across a newly structured corridor he hadn't recalled ever seeing before.  
  
Raziel decided to investigate this passageway, following it to its end. A set of large double doors blocked his way. Pushing with all his might, Raziel hefted the door open. Beyond the doorway, he found himself outside once again. He had traveled underground beneath Turel's fortress and through the mountains he had carved his stronghold from.  
  
The reaver of souls now found himself in a canyon within the mountains. The sky overhead was dark as night. Only the fiery glow of molten rock in the pits below illuminated the area. The air was hot with the acrid smell of ash.  
  
Before him, dozens of Turelim were slaving away, hauling boulders set upon wooden carts. They dumped their loads into the lava pits before returning for another load. At the far end of the valley, Raziel could see more Turelim clearing rocks and stone from a section of the mountain walls. Beneath the earth, the edges of a dormant gateway revealed itself.  
  
"Raziel! Is that you?" A deep voice disturbed the former vampire from his watchful gaze.  
  
Raziel tried to locate the dreadful voice. "Show yourself!"  
  
"How little you are, Raziel! I am disappointed. I imagined you'd be so much more when the master told me you killed our brothers!"  
  
Raziel turned around, facing the doorway he had just entered through. He looked up into the shadows, spotting a pair of glowing red eyes. "Turel!"  
  
"Yes, Raziel. But unlike our brothers, I shall not be disposed of so easily!" 


	43. Raziel's Destiny Unfolds

Chapter Forty-Three  
  
Raziel watched Turel's shadowed form as he moved atop the ledge over the doorway. Raziel backed up a few steps, defensively raising the Soul Reaver, preparing for conflict. In one quick movement, Turel leapt from his perch and landed with a thud in front of his older brother. Raziel took in the sight of the devolved vampire lieutenant.  
  
Like the other lieutenants, Turel's evolution turned for the worse. He no longer resembled the vampire that had helped toss Raziel into the abyss. Like most of his brothers, Turel's stature had also grown in size. Though hunched over from his twisted spine, he still stood about as tall as Dumah had. The vertebrae of his spine had twisted and contorted, growing into spikes that forced their way through the skin in his back.  
  
Turel's musculature had grown as well. His torso bulged with strength. His upper arms shared this feature, but the size of his arms tapered off towards his wrists. His claws were long and thin, but had a deadly sharpness to them. His legs were thick with muscle as well. His feet had elongated. He walked on his toes and the balls of his feet, no longer depending on his heels for support.  
  
Turel's ears had grown and elongated, even longer than that of his offspring. His ears seemed to droop and wobble whenever he moved his head. He had grown somewhat of a snout over the centuries, his nose and mouth protruded a bit from the rest of his face. When Turel grinned, he sported a mouthful of sharp, pointed teeth. The lieutenant's eyes were ever watchful and penetrating, despite their beady appearance.  
  
Behind Turel, Raziel caught sight of something moving. He studied it, realizing that his brother had grown a long, leathery tail. So heavy, Turel could not lift the appendage, but rather, it served the purpose of extra balance.  
  
Raziel smirked at Turel's 'divine' changes. "Melchiah becomes a fleshless zombie, Zephon an immobile insect, Rahab a serpent in a fishbowl, and Dumah a foolish lapdog. But you Turel, I believe your changes best suit you; a deceitful rat!"  
  
This obviously struck a cord with the lieutenant. Catching Raziel off guard, Turel backhanded the vampire wraith with his left hand, sending Raziel crashing into a nearby wall. The fallen warrior quickly rose to his feet. Turel took his time, or at least seemed to. Raziel watched his brother slowly approach him, crawling on four limbs, and realized the vampire had forfeited speed for whatever dark gift he had obtained.  
  
Using this newfound knowledge to his advantage, Raziel hefted the Soul Reaver and leapt at Turel. The smaller combatant believed he would be quick enough to circle his larger foe and attack from behind. He was mistaken. Turel lifted his right arm, and a dull blue energy surrounded it. Raziel found himself frozen in place. He could not move!  
  
Suddenly, Raziel found himself lifted into the air and thrown again back into the wall. This time, the reaver of souls did not find himself rising to his feet as quickly. When he did finally get up, he took notice of Turel's next attack. The beast held his mouth agape, a faint glow emanating from his gullet. Raziel recognized this attack. Turel's offspring had annoyed him with this inherited trait. But thanks to Turel's strongest general, Raziel had absorbed this power as he devoured the vampire's soul.  
  
Turel released the blast of compressed air. Raziel braced himself for the impact. He knew it wouldn't be pleasant, but the damage wouldn't be sufficient either. Again, he was wrong. The blast from Turel was several times stronger than any of his children had been able to create. The lieutenant had put his own energy into the attack for added damage.  
  
As the projectile crashed into Raziel's body, he was smashed into the wall. The projectile burned and tore at Raziel's fragile tissue; pealing what little muscle he had from the bone. The attack subsided. Raziel regained his posture. He looked down to his arm and abdomen to assess the damage. His jerky-like tough muscles had been torn from his bones. Though he was certain the damage could be repaired, the danger Turel posed was far clearer now.  
  
Unable to get close to his brother, Raziel opted to fight fire with fire. He pointed the Soul Reaver at him, and concentrated a projectile of his own. Turel snickered. Raziel released the blast, but as it neared its target, the vampire slapped it away like it was a pesky mosquito. Turel began to slowly advance on his prey.  
  
The vampire wraith realized he needed a little more power behind his attacks. Concentrating on the wraith form of his blade, Raziel summoned the fire element. The wraith blade, pulsing around the physical blade, burst into flame. Again, Raziel fired a projectile at his enemy. The blast connected with Turel's chest. He paused momentarily, but otherwise, seemed unfazed. He continued his approach.  
  
"I have spent centuries in the fiery hells of Dark Eden. My skin no longer burns by flame's touch."  
  
"But is your skin immune to water?"  
  
The wraith blade switched elemental properties to water. Raziel fired a third shot. The watery projectile collided with Turel's shoulder. The water burned his flesh with a hiss. Turel grimaced in pain, but continued onward. Raziel continued the assault, firing blasts that connected with his arms, legs and torso. But the vampire was not deterred.  
  
As Turel neared his victim, Raziel watched the injuries he delivered heal themselves. It was as if Turel had never been injured. Turel swung his razor sharp talons at Raziel. The vampire wraith leapt over the attack, but was caught in midair by the vampire's telekinesis. Raziel was thrown again into a rocky wall. He staggered to his feet.  
  
Turel continued his slow approach to Raziel. The latter watched the first draw near, trying to think of a way to thwart his enemy. As Turel crawled along, Raziel noticed a grouping of rocks and boulders barely balancing on a ledge above Turel. With the wraith blade changing over to earth, Raziel fired a blast.  
  
Turel laughed evilly. "Do you not realize that you cannot best me at my own gift? I told you, Raziel. You will not be able to destroy me like you did our brothers!"  
  
"Don't count on that," Raziel replied as his blast struck the boulder that had been supporting the mass of rock and stone above Turel.  
  
The lieutenant realized too late what Raziel's intentions had been. The mass of rocks and boulders came crashing down towards Turel. The vampire attempted to divert the avalanche's direction using his telekinesis, but was unable to move every boulder out of the way.  
  
Knowing this attack would not end Turel's life; Raziel instead used it as a distraction. While Turel was busy trying to redirect the boulders' paths, Raziel charged the beast. Soul Reaver drawn back, the reaver of souls thrust it forward into Turel's torso. The lieutenant released a screech of pain, clutching at the wound, no longer paying any head to the rocks and stone that pelted him.  
  
From inside Turel's body, the power of the Soul Reaver tore him apart. The energy of the twin blades seeped up through Turel's flesh. The power reached the surface, appearing like cracks in the surface of a stone. Suddenly, the confines of Turel's flesh could bear no more. His body exploded, sending chunks of flesh in several directions. However, the bits of flesh burned and dissolved before ever reaching the ground.  
  
From the ashes of Turel's body, rose the fragments of his soul. The entity combining, Raziel drew the spirit of his last brother into his body. The new power given to him by the lieutenant momentarily overwhelmed and disorientated him, but he quickly recovered.  
  
Turel's offspring had taken no notice of the battle. Instead they continued slaving away during the entire altercation. Now with Turel dead, it seemed they had been free from some form of mind control. One by one they halted their labor, trying to get their bearings straight.  
  
"He has killed our father!" an elite Turelim shouted, having noticed his master's absence.  
  
Though the vampires had been manipulated by mind control, they were still fiercely loyal to their creator. Dozens of vampires charged after Raziel. Using his new abilities, Raziel concentrated a telekinetic barrier around him. The Turelim were unable to penetrate the barrier, even with their own telekinetic blasts.  
  
Raziel focused his power, suddenly expanding the barrier around him. The vampires were sent flying backwards. Many of them found themselves hurtled into the depths of the molten lava pits below, burning to their deaths. Those that did not suffer the same fate reconsidered their assault. Instead, they opted to flee, ensuring that they would live to see another night.  
  
Watching the Turelim leave, Raziel was satisfied with his efforts. He released his energy and the telekinetic barrier faded. Using the power of the earth element, he blasted at the far wall, which contained the silent interdimensional portal. The projectiles caused boulders to crash down in front of the gateway, concealing it once again.  
  
With Turel dead, and the threat of reopening the portal diminished, only one more obstacle was left. Though having recently allied himself with his executioner, the truce was only destined to be short lived. Raziel still had matters of his revenge on Kain to complete. After he had successfully wrought his vengeance upon his sire, he would return to the past and save Jenise from her own death.  
  
Raziel turned to leave. However, he was halted in his tracks. The twin blades of the Soul Reaver pulled on his arm, defiant of Raziel's will. The vampire wraith's eyes widened in fear.  
  
"No! Not now!" he yelled as the blades turned on him once again.  
  
The blade impaled itself through Raziel's torso. The former vampire struggled against his fate, fighting against the power of the blades. A pulsing distortion filled the area as the blades drew from Raziel's life force. From the shadows, Kain emerged to witness the event.  
  
"How...convenient! You come...after I've done...all the...dirty work! To see...me like this...once...again!" Raziel sneered at the master vampire.  
  
"Despite what you might think, I don't enjoy seeing you like this Raziel. My only purpose for being here is to return the Soul Reaver to its proper time frame. That is all."  
  
"How...comforting..."  
  
"Raziel, this is your fate. It has always been your fate. There is nothing you or I could do to change that. Just accept it Raziel, and it shall be less painful."  
  
"I shall never...accept this...travestry...as my fate!"  
  
"Then experience your last moments of existence in complete and utter pain," Kain replied somewhat sadly as he turned away.  
  
Despite Kain's warnings, Raziel still refused to accept his fate. He fought with all his might against the power of the Soul Reaver. The harder he fought, the more of his energy he felt drained from his body. He began to feel dizzy and disorientated, as he grew weaker. The Soul Reaver was winning.  
  
Raziel could feel his physical manifestation breaking apart as the Soul Reaver absorbed him. His physical body slowly dissolved away, revealing Raziel's true spiritual presence. The reaver of souls did not pass into the spectral world with the disintegration of his material body. His soul remained trapped in the material realm as the blades consumed him.  
  
With his physical body gone, Raziel grew weaker exponentially. The blades drew him in even quicker. The aura of the wraith blade grew brighter around its physical twin as Raziel's final moments drew near. Kain dared not to watch. A flash of bright light filled the air and the paradoxical distortion ceased. The sound of metal crashing onto stone filled the air.  
  
Kain turned back around. The Soul Reaver was all that remained, lying still on the ground. The vampire approached the blade, and hesitantly picked it up.  
  
"I'm sorry it had to be this way, Raziel," he spoke to the blade.  
  
"Not as sorry as you'll be when I finally destroy you!" a hissing voice echoed through the air.  
  
Kain looked in all directions, trying to locate the strange voice. He turned behind him, noticing a faint glow fill the air in front of him. The glow took shape and Kain filled with fear.  
  
"Raziel!" he whispered in disbelief.  
  
Manifesting from the spectral realm, the reaver of souls returned. But he was different. He still possessed his decayed appearances; no flesh or organs, bony structure, stretched muscle. However, he no longer held a humanoid form. His appendages had stretched, walking on all fours.   
  
Raziel's face had elongated, his lower jaw mysteriously returned. His wings held structure, the bones having healed somehow. The recovered appendages slowly fanned themselves out. A tail of bones stretched from the base of his spine.  
  
"Raziel, what has happened to you?"  
  
"I have changed Kain. All because of you! Locked in that blade for centuries, I have evolved as I should have as a vampire!"  
  
"But how did you escape?"  
  
Raziel sniggered. "Of course...you weren't watching when it happened... As you know, the Soul Reaver was destroyed when you brought it down upon me. I was freed from one prison, and trapped in another form of torment...attached to the arm of my past self! It seems no matter what becomes of me, I am still a pawn to someone, even my own self...  
  
"But I've grown stronger. As my past self used me for his own benefit, I slowly began taking control, consuming the souls he wished to devour, absorbing the elemental powers of Nosgoth. Once I gained enough power, I would trap him within the Soul Reaver.  
  
"Being attached to him, I pulled us both into the physical blade. But unlike me, he had not the strength to escape. Once inside the blade, I detached myself from my host and escaped. You see, the same entity cannot occupy the same space at the same time."  
  
"Then it is you who have caused your own suffering! Trapping your own self within the blade! All you had to do was NOT proceed with that one act, and your suffering would have been over!"  
  
"No. My suffering only would have rewritten itself. This...my imprisonment...was the only way I'd get a chance to finally kill you!"  
  
Raziel swung a large, talon-filled fist down upon Kain. The master vampire leapt out of the way. The impact from Raziel's fist pounding the ground caused the area to shake violently. Kain was unable to keep his balance. Raziel backhanded the vampire, who was sent flying into the opposite wall. He fell down to the ground.  
  
Raziel approached Kain with a maddening gleam in his eye. Sitting on his haunches, he carefully picked up his sire with both hands. The demonic entity wrapped his large hands around Kain, certain to pin the vampire's arms to his sides. Raziel lifted the vampire up to his eyelevel.  
  
Kain, helpless to do anything, stared at Raziel with immense fear. He had not foreseen this event in the Oracle's caves. Raziel grinned eagerly at the morsel in his clutches. Kain felt himself growing weak, realizing that his former first-born was slowly sucking the life force from his body.  
  
Just as Kain thought he was about to lose himself to unconsciousness, Raziel suddenly ceased his feeding. He growled in anger, momentarily forgetting Kain and dropping the vampire on the ground. Raziel turned around, to find the culprit who dared interrupt his meal.  
  
Before him was three figures. One of which was focusing his energy upon Raziel, causing the demon great pain. Raziel attempted to approach the trio, but found when he did so, his pain intensified.  
  
"Beast! You do not belong in this world! The dead are to remain dead!" the man in the center yelled, increasing his power to contain Raziel.  
  
Raziel writhed in pain as the sorcerer's power increased, stabbing at him like a thousand daggers. The demon's physical manifestation began to stagger in and out of existence, as he grew weaker and weaker.  
  
"Now! Now's the time!" the woman of the trio called out. "Open the portal!"  
  
The third member of the group focused his energy, forming a vortex of energy behind Raziel. The first, increased his power to its maximum, and forced Raziel back into the portal. The demon screamed in anger as the portal sealed itself shut.  
  
"May his soul rest peacefully in the afterlife."  
  
Kain slowly rose to his feet, still very weak from his near death experience. The trio approached him, and Kain instantly recognized them.  
  
"Taliba. Drogo...and Nobu. What brings you three to this depressing era?"  
  
"We came as soon as I had the vision..." Taliba vaguely replied.  
  
"How touching...you came to save me," Kain joked with a toothy grin.  
  
"Not I," replied Drogo. "As I said before, 'the dead ARE to remain dead.' I would have done the same to you as I did him, but Taliba insists there are still important matters destined for you, and for you alone."  
  
"Enlighten me."  
  
"Let us find some place a little less...unsettling...before we begin," Nobu requested, eyeing the fallen boulders over the inactive Hylden gateway.  
  
"Agreed. I shall take us to the caves of the Oracle. They are probably the most comforting place in this era," replied Kain. Just as Kain prepared his teleportation spell, Taliba began reciting her prophecy.  
  
"Remember this one truth, Kain. Eventually, History will repeat itself..." 


	44. Epilogue: The Dawn of a New Tomorrow

Epilogue  
  
Taliba told Kain of his future destiny, and then returned with her comrades to her own time. The former emperor of Nosgoth wisely heeded her words. After making a few preparations, he withdrew himself from Nosgoth. He concealed himself within the sanctuary of the Oracle's caves, patiently waiting. He emerged only occasionally for sustenance.  
  
With Kain secluding himself from the world, humanity began to thrive. The clanless vampire rogues wandered the land, until meeting their ends by the deeds of vampire hunters. Without clan lords or Kain's interference, no new vampires were born. Thus, the extinction of the vampire race came at hand.  
  
With the last known vampire dead, humans celebrated. They began rebuilding the cities lost to Kain's rule so many centuries ago. As the cities grew and flourished, so did humanity. Nosgoth thrived.  
  
Centuries passed. The Pillars of Nosgoth stood tall, but were forgotten. Passageways to the Sanctuary of the Clans had been sealed off shortly after Kain's disappearance. Plants and vines had overrun the ancient edifice, hiding it from the outside world. The history of vampires slowly became legend and then slowly became fairy tale. The vampire race now only existed in fantasy.  
  
Mankind, free from their shackles of Kain's oppression, had begun to advance technologically. Medicines had been developed to cure illness, steam engines had been designed to make travel more efficient. Life expectancy had drastically increased over the years.  
  
It was during this day and age, that a young girl and a young boy found themselves adventuring across Nosgoth. Twins at birth, the two were inseparable. At the age of ten, one would not expect to see children their age out alone in the wilderness. The twins currently found themselves attempting to climb a mountain of boulders that had blocked their path.  
  
"Randel! Wait up!" the girl called to her brother, who was up much higher than she.  
  
"Hurry up, Janice! I'm not gonna wait all day!"  
  
The twins reached the summit and paused to take in the view.  
  
"Wow! What do you think it is?" Janice wondered aloud.  
  
"It's some sort of old building! Come on! Let's go check it out!"  
  
"I don't think we should..."  
  
"What are ya? Chicken?"  
  
"NO!"  
  
The twins climbed down the opposite side of the boulders, and raced each other towards the ancient ruins of an old edifice. They began searching through the vines for an entrance.  
  
"I don't see a door. Do you see a way in?" asked Randel.  
  
"Randel! Look over here! There's no wall behind the vines here!"  
  
The boy raced over to his sister. "Where? Lemme see!"  
  
"Look! Right there! There's a few old bars there, but most of them are gone!"  
  
Randel tore away at the vines, revealing a space that appeared to have been a gate at one point in time. Most of the bars had rusted and fallen away. The children easily squeezed through the gaps. They made their way down the corridor and passed through an open doorway.  
  
They found themselves in a large open area. A bridge connected their side of the room to the opposite end. Traces of stagnant water were on the stony floor below. Being the braver of the two, Randel led the way across the bridge and through the doorway on the other side.  
  
The twins traveled down the long corridor, occasionally finding a gate blocking their path. However, like the first gate they encountered, these had rusted as well. The gates only served as an inconvenience. Eventually, they found themselves in front of a large set of double doors. They pushed the doors open with all their might, and entered the large chamber within.  
  
The room seemed to have been vacated centuries ago. A few skeletons lie on the ground. Some weapons still hung from the walls. A throne sat at the far end of the room, surrounded by nine tall pillars.  
  
"Randel, I don't like this place. It's creepy."  
  
"No way! This place is so neat! It's full of cool stuff!" he disagreed while poking a dried up skull with a stick.  
  
Janice walked up to the pillars, marveling their beauty. "What do you suppose these things are?"  
  
Randel walked up beside Janice. "I donno. They're weird though."  
  
Randel turned his attention to some of the weapons on the wall, while Janice attempted to get a better look at the pillars. She climbed atop the throne, edging herself on the tallest 'thorn' protruding from the throne. When the thorn gave out under her weight, she thought she had broke it, but she soon discovered that it was a lever to a secret chamber behind the throne.  
  
"Randel! Look what I found!"  
  
The boy raced over to his sister's side, finding her pawing through a pile of gold coins.  
  
"Look at all this money!" she cheered. "Now we can buy our own place to live in!"  
  
"Hey! What's that?" Randal reached inside the compartment and pulled out a piece of a blade.  
  
"Oh, it's just a broken old sword. I found more pieces of it. I threw them over there."  
  
Randel ran over to the pile of rusted old metal. "Hey, what else is over here?"  
  
"I donno. There was lots of pieces of scrap metal in there. Here, the sword pieces are under these larger ones."  
  
Janice picked up the two large chunks of metal to reveal two fragments of the sword. Randel began studying the three pieces, trying to fit them together. Watching this, Janice began to wonder if her own pieces fit together. She turned them in her hand, trying to match the edges together. To her amazement, the two sides that seemed they would not go together slid perfectly into place.  
  
"Look, Randel! These fit together! What do you think it is?"  
  
"I donno. Maybe it's a shield or something..." he replied, but didn't really pay much attention to her.  
  
"Randel! What's...what's it doing?" Janice panicked.  
  
Randel looked up from his 'puzzle' to see that the pieces of metal Janice had fit together began to glow a faint blue color.  
  
"Make it stop!"  
  
"I can't! I can't let go of it!"  
  
The boy ran to her side, and tried to pull the object from her grasp. He found his effort to be futile, as he could not separate his sister from the metal. The glow around the metal intensified and Janice whimpered in fear. After several moments, the glow subsided. Randel pulled the metal back and, unexpectedly, the object released itself from Janice's hands.  
  
Randel and Janice both fell onto their rears. They looked up. Between them, was a fully restored shield, void of any rust or damage. Randel picked up the shield, curiously inspecting it.  
  
"You fixed it. How did you do that?"  
  
"I don't know. I just put the pieces together and it fixed itself."  
  
"I wonder if it'll work with that sword!"  
  
Randel put the shield back down. Janice was still too frightened to touch it again. The boy quickly placed the three pieces of the sword together. As he did so, the same glow that had engulfed the shield now engulfed the sword fragments. Janice watched in fear as the sword did the same to her brother. After a few moments, the glow dissipated and the sword was fully restored.  
  
"This is so cool!" Randel exclaimed, as he tried to heft the heavy weapon. He dragged it over towards Janice. "Hey, pick up that shield! I wanna test out my new sword!"  
  
"What do you children think you are doing here?" demanded a very loud voice.  
  
Janice and Randel peered around the throne. A solitaire man stood in the center of the room. The twins' eyes widened in fear at the sight of the man. He looked like no other they had seen before. The children ducked down behind the throne.  
  
"Randel, I'm scared."  
  
"Don't worry, Janice. I'll protect you," her brother replied as he struggled with the sword.  
  
The boy rose and emerged from behind the throne, pulling the sword with him. "You leave us alone!" he tried to sound as authoritative as possible.   
  
Randel managed to lift the weapon up over his head, but as soon as he hefted it, the weight of the sword caused the blade to come crashing back down to the ground. The man's eyes widened with disbelief.  
  
"The Soul Reaver! But how..?"  
  
Janice had dared herself to take up the shield, figuring that she might need it to protect herself. She timidly exposed herself from behind the throne. The man noticed the object in her hands as well.  
  
"And the Spirit Shield! How did you children manage to find these sacred objects, let alone restore them?"  
  
"We don't know," Janice warily replied.  
  
"What are your names?"  
  
"We're not telling you!" Randel boldly shouted.  
  
"Don't make him mad, Randel. He looks scary," she whispered.  
  
"Shut up, Janice! If he hears you, then he'll know you're scared," he whispered back.  
  
The man's enhanced hearing allowed him to hear the children's conversation. He smirked at their innocence, having not realized they had given him their names anyhow. However, the coincidences of their names held great significance.  
  
"So, the prophecy holds true..." the man commented to himself. He turned towards the twins. "Randel and Janice. Where are your parents?"  
  
The twins turned their heads at the sound of their names.  
  
"Our mother died while we were babies," Randel answered sadly.  
  
"And our father died a year ago. He got real sick and the doctors couldn't help him. They said it was 'cause he drank too much..." Janice solemnly filled in the rest.  
  
"You've been alone all this time?"  
  
The twins nodded their heads. The man looked into their sad faces. Randel, his raven hair spilled over his ears, tracing the sides of his face. His large, dark eyes stared back into the man's eyes. Janice's hair cascaded to her shoulder blades. The light in the room reflected a tint of blue highlights. Her sad green eyes gazed at a point on the floor far behind the man.  
  
"You children don't realize how important you are, do you?"  
  
The twins stood silently.  
  
"Come. I will take you two into my care," the strange man directed, as he turned towards the door.  
  
"What's your name?" wondered Janice.  
  
The man paused in his tracks. "Kain. My name is Kain. Let me tell you a little tale. A tale that dates back almost four thousand years..." 


End file.
